When and where did your taxon live?

Late Devonian, Pelagic zone(open ocean, neither a bottom feeder or habitual reef-dweller)
• What are the synapomorphies that diagnose your clade?
Placoderm plates that protect the head and act as “teeth” for an otherwise toothless species.
Distinct, mostly flat plates(Other armored fish often had tuberculated “crown” ornaments)
in the following arrangement:

Including a median dorsal plate not pictured above.

• What is the typical morphology of your group?

“Studies on the lower jaws of juveniles of D. terrelli reveal they were proportionally as robust as
those of adults, indicating they already could produce high bite forces and likely were able to
shear into resistant prey tissue similar to adults, albeit on a smaller scale. This pattern is in
direct contrast to the condition common in tetrapods in which the jaws of juveniles are more
gracile than in adults. Still, as the animal grew, the diet shifted from mostly soft-bodied prey,
such as fish and sharks to larger armored prey, such as other placoderms” (Boyle at al 2016)

• What is the relationship of your group to other dinosaurs? What are the relationships
within your clade?
• Are there any controversies or uncertainties involving your group (i.e. about their diet,
behavior, or which species belong in the group)?
The Length of the largest species, Dunkleosteus terrelli, is constantly being debated. The jaw
size seems appropriate for a 6m long mega-fish, while the lungs seem to limit the size to
3m(often called “chunkleosteus”)

• What is a popular media portrayal of your group and how is it correct or incorrect?
Most media portrays the more streamlined shark-like profile of the Dunkleosteus. In addition, the
Osteoderms are often shown as grafted onto the skin(as a sort of exposed bone) instead of
being covered by it, which was more likely the case in reality. Regardless of the size however,
all evidence indicated they were still the super predator of the Devonian sea, and that is the role
they play in almost all popular media in which they are included.
• Other topics you may wish to include (optional):
“Dunkleosteus could quickly open and close its jaw, creating suction like modern-day suction
feeders, and had a bite force that is considered the highest of any living or fossil fish, and
among the highest of any animal.”
“Moreover, Anderson and Westneat (2007) studied the feeding mechanics and the bite force of
Dunkleosteus terrelli jaws. They made two key findings. First, they discovered the jaws could
rapidly open and close. So fast that Dunkleosteus could make a suction when opening, sucking
prey into it. Secondly, they found the jaws to have a tremendous bite force, on par with giant
crocodiles. One of the larger specimens studied, CMNH 5768, which is estimated to be 6 meters
in length had a bite force of 4,400 N (989 pounds) on the cusps and 5,300 N (1,200 pounds) on
the end of the blade. Putting this in terms of pressure, this is 147 million Pascals or 21,000 psi
(Anderson and Westneat 2007”
• Were they social?
Unlikely, there is evidence they were cannibalistic.
• Did they nest?
No. There is no evidence they cared for their offspring and if their behavior can be linked to
modern-day aquatic super predators, they likely had an operating “range” but not a territory like
a terrestrial predator might.
• What did they eat?
“as the animal grew, the diet shifted from soft-bodied prey, such as fish and sharks to larger
armored prey, such as placoderms (Boyle at al 2016)”
Scars on the armored head sometimes appear to have come from other Dunkleosteus,
indicating they were cannibalistic.
They were large enough to hunt and eat nearly any other devonian sea creature, and they most
probably would also hunt shoals of smaller fish, using the suction of their jaws rapidly closing to
draw the prey in.

Refer:
Kowinsky, J. (2023, March 18). Dunkleosteus - your guide to the Giant Armored Placoderm of
the Devonian seas. Dunkleosteus - Your Guide To The Giant Armored Placoderm:
Fossilguy.com. https://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/vert/placoderm/dunkleosteus/index.htm ​

Tamisiea, J. (2023, March 4). Dunk was chunky, but still deadly. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/04/science/chunky-dunk-fossil.html ​
​

Engelman, R. K. (2023, February 21). A devonian fish tale: A new method of body length
estimation suggests much smaller sizes for Dunkleosteus Terrelli (placodermi: Arthrodira).
MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/318 ​

Engelman , R., RM, A., PSL, A., MW, W., SM, B., H, W., C, B., RA, R., J, B., PL, G., SCR, M.,
MD, E., M, W., TJ, R., JA, B., RJ, B., DM, B., JK, C., JA, B., … H, Z. (2023, April 10). Giant,
swimming mouths: Oral dimensions of extant sharks do not accurately predict body size in
Dunkleosteus Terrelli (placodermi: Arthrodira). PeerJ. https://peerj.com/articles/15131/ ​

Dunkleosteus amblyodoratus - academic accelerator. Academic Accelerator. (n.d.).

https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/jp/dunkleosteus-amblyodoratus