| Leedsichthys Temporal range: MiddleJurassic | |
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| Leedsichthys with scuba-diver for scale | |
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| Genus: | Leedsichthys |
| Binomial name | |
| Leedsichthys problematicus | |
Leedsichthys problematicus ("leeds fish") was a giantfish of theJurassic period. Its fossils were first found in England.
It was a pachycormid, a group ofextinct ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii).Leedsichthys is the largest fish known, with an estimated length of up to 16 metres.[1] Theblue whale is twice as long, at 30 metres, but it is amammal, not a fish.
Leedsichthysfossils are incomplete, making it impossible to know the exact length. The fossil is named after its discoverer, Alfred Nicholson Leeds, who discovered it before 1886 nearPeterborough,England.[1] No full fossil is known, mainly because parts of the skeleton were made ofcartilage, which does not fossilise.The front of the snout was made of cartilage.
Leedsichthysfossils have also been found in France,Germany andChile.
Like the world's biggest fish today, thewhale shark,Leedsichthys was a filter feeder, getting itsnutrition fromplankton. Remains of over 70 individuals have been found.[1]