Question

How did placoderms such as Coccosteus feed?

Answer 1

Answer to above question

Placodermi is derived from greek word ( πλάξ = plate and δέρμα = skin, that is literally "plate-skinned") is a class of armoured prehistoric fish, recognized from fossils, and it lived from the Silurian to the end of the Devonian period..Coccosteus which means ("seed bone") is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm and Its fossils have been seen throughout Europe and North America. Coccosteus could reach up to forty centimetres in length and this made Coccosteus smaller than some of the other larger placoderms that were prey to big hunters such as Dunkleosteus and Dinichthys.‭ Because of its small size Coccosteus are preserved better than its larger cousins.‭ Thats why Coccosteus has been used as a model to reconstruct larger arthrodire placoderms.

Coccosteus has been found to be capable of opening their mouth extremely wide,‭ ‬meaning that a greater number of potential prey can be eaten .Up-and-down movement of the skull also allowed for more water to be pumped through the gills. It also supplements its diet with organic material filtered from mud using the gills.