Fish · GBIF taxon 4975581
Sacabambaspis janvieri
Sacabambaspis janvieriSacabambaspis janvieri possessed a rigid headshield constructed from dorsal and ventral plates, fronted by tiny, forward-pointing eyes positioned right above its terminal mouth. Propelled by an elongated, fringed tail without specialized paired fins, it moved through shallow Ordovician coastal seas in short, undulating bursts. Arrays of tiny, movable plates lined its jawless mouth opening, acting as a flexible suction pump to siphon detritus and plankton from the water column.
FossilJawless Fish
Licensed referenceBaranov, Gennadi / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Plankton
- Organic detritus
- Benthic microbes
Predators
- Giant orthoconic nautiloids
- Sea scorpions (eurypterids)
ThreatsLate Ordovician glaciations and oceanic anoxia events
HabitatsShallow epicontinental seas and coastal marine shelf waters
Life span3–5 years (estimated)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyArandaspididae
- GenusSacabambaspis
- SpeciesSacabambaspis janvieri
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe as a fossil or museum reconstruction.
Responsible observation
- Museum Viewing: Examine casts and fossils at paleontology exhibits to see the unusual forward-placed eye orbits.
- Fossil Research: Look for preserved dorsal plates in marine sedimentary rocks dating to the Middle to Late Ordovician.
Related Agnathan Jonathan Chen / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Image unavailablePredator 
Close Relative Michal Maňas / Public domain · cc0
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