Could a Dunkleosteus be alive today, and if so, where?

Could a Dunkleosteus be alive today, and if so, where?

As far as we know all the placodermi(a species of fish with a boney "shell" covering most of their body) are extinct. They've been extinct since the silurian. They went extinct the way most species do, not being able to adapt. So the answer is no. If one were to survive it would need a huge body of water, a large food suply,and to insure its' species survival, a mate.

Anythings is possible, but it is not probable that it exists today. There may be something out there that is evolved and similar. Do you ever see any strange fish when you dive, some that don't fit into what we know exists? lots of things "don't exist" until a certified, specialized, college graduate acknowledges it. Did you notice the guy who tried to bomb new york recently had two college degrees and was trained in pakistan to build a bomb? He bought the wrong fertilizer, wrong clock, and assembled it wrong. So much for college teaching you to think. It's a good thing he wasn't a farmer or fireman.

You never know we still have atleast a good million to 100 million animals to descover. We may never finish the human race could go extinct before we find all of the speices!

Ricky, yes I have seen some strange things on some dives.

And Tyler, you are right, we may never discover everything that inhabits this wonderful planet with us.

I know the likelihood of a Dunkleosteus or similar creature being alive today is most likely remote...but I like to stimulate these questions, as they are always on my mind, and I enjoy hearing others takes on them.

The second reason is, like my other post concerning Tylosaurus, I am doing research for a book and am trying to learn all I can on this prehistoric fish...including where it might be now,,,had it somehow survived of course.

They have teeth that look like they eat meat. some pictures show canine type teeth. Big piranas are good to stay away from if you see one.

From some web searches I`v done, the Dunkleosteus of Morraco got up to 20 ft. in length and had no true teeth. It jaws were boney pointed plates that overlapped and were self sharpening as they wore down. It kind of resembles a turtle head and jaws. Thay are thought to be one of the first species to mate as male and females. Thier remains are often found with semi digested fish indicating that they were guilty of gluttony and had indigestion as a result. They lasted only about 50 million years before going extinct, a short time span. If any would even have a chance to be alive today they would need a large food supply, a mate, and a large body of water. But you never say never. Look at all of the different species of plants and animals being discovered daily in the Florida Everglades, the Amazon Rain Forests and other places where man has not encroached yet. Deep down in caves or on a snow covered peak or swimming in the seas are things yet to be classified. I don`t think I would go diving in the Amazon River but I sure would love to fish in it! I`d love to catch a big beautiful Peacock Bass among many others.

Yep Ricky, piranha are some nasty little guys...but they're one of my fave fish!

And J...man you have once again blown me away! You always are helping me find out info I fail to find on my searches. I suck! LOL

I will explain why I need the info if we talk on AIM. To much to get into on here.

So new question concerning the Dunk...a large body of water needed eh? Where would you pick to fit that bill if you could choose anywhere in the world?

Most likely in north america because that is where they used to live until they went extinct. Alot of fossils of dunkleosteus have been found in ohio(GO OHIO ) but most likely they would travel south for a warmer climate. The coast of Florida maybe?

How about in that big freshwater bay in Canada, It looks like a remote spot and it is mostly freshwater but shares some salt with the ocean. I don't know how deep it is, it must be as deep as Lake superior in spots. Lake superior also has some weird looking fish. Under the Houghton/Hancock Bridge are some big ugly fish according to a girl I met who dives there. She doesn't like that spot anymore.

Thanks all for the ideas.

What about the Gulf of Mexico? For some reason I am drawn there in my writing. Could that be a plausible locale for the creature? Remember, this story will be fictitious...

Unless they are curious, I don't think they are dumb enough to live around a bunch of oil wells. Possibly somewhere near florida though, watching all the people at spring break.

I found a cool video segment from Discovery Channel on Dunkleosteus. I sent it to you ScottKely I hope you got it. It shows a depiction of one they say is 33 ft. in length and weighed 200,000 tons. Now that is a big fish! It`s no wonder they ruled the sea in those days. The jaw strength is like that of a T-Rex and equipped with sharp blades for teeth. It could cut any prey in half with one bite.

Yes Jspencer, and the "teeth" in its' jaws were actualy boney plates that sharpened themselves every time it bit down. One mean fish if you ask me.

Thanks everyone!

Ricky, Hmmm, point taken, maybe Florida it will have to be....

J, I didn't get the email, or did you send it via here? Either way thank you, and I will search for the video you mentioned.

Ian, thanks for the input. Yep, nasty teeth on that fish. A formidable predator indeed...well, for the short time it was here of course....or are they truly gone? (insert cheesy diabolical laugh here)

(now you can see why I want to use the animal in my story)

Scott you are very welcome! If you have any other questions do not hesitate to ask.

And if you need any really off the wall ideas just ask.

There are scientist that take a camra put it on the bottom of the sea and they turn the light on to the camra as things swim accross the bottom almost every thing is a new speices!! We descover new things every day!

ScottKely did you get any of my e-mails? I sent 3 to you.

Thanks everyone. I am so happy I found this site...chatting with you all is turning into a highlight of my everyday. You are all so kind and knowledgeable, I really appreciate the info, education, and opinions.

J, yes I finally got the emails...sorry bout that, my server might be slow. Thanks a million!

Hey Ian, I just noticed your icon photo here...that a Dunk I see? Very cool pic!!

correct me if I'm wrong. In the beginning there was a big bang. There was no matter other than one thing in our universe and it somehow blew up. The energy waves contained tiny energy particles which bumped into each other and created matter, the tiny grains of matter bumped together and formed helium, the helium bumped together and created other elements, and so forth. Then stars were formed or something and they bumped together or overloaded and blew up creating a plasma gas nebula that gives birth to new stars. This keeps repeating and each star forms a gravitational field and planets are formed. Then the integration of elements, gravity fields, energy, and gasses created life on this planet. Now I am sitting at my computer conversing with what I think are other humans, with a cat laying partly on the keyboard. I am chewing on a piece of leftover steak from last nights supper and drinking coffee imported from thousands of miles away. I believe all the above is possible and maybe probable. Others would not believe what I have written because they don't think a person can chew up a steak with no teeth. I know that part to be true, yet all the rest I am not sure of. I can't understand how it is even possible that we exist. So If you ask me if it's possible, my answer will always be anything is possible. All we can guess at is if it's probable.

Well Ricky, I like to think our evolution had a bit more involved in it...like a higher power or something. Not necessarily from a "god" or anything, but just some sort of help from an intelligence of some sort. I mean if you look, really, really look at the universe, our planet, animals, etc., there are so many amazing, incredible things to see and discover, and the way things work and seem to be connected to other things and the way all is almost in a rotating harmony with each other it just makes you think, y'know?

I have always had the notion our planet is kind of like an inter-galactic zoo of sorts...lots of animals (us included) and nature, maybe from many other places among the stars, and it's all here as someone's (or something's) experiment...like the zoo's we see and visit here.

Anyhow..just a thought!

Do you ever get the feeling that we are in some sort of Terrarium?

All the time!

How about the Bermuda Triangle for the setting? Lots of ships are lost, possibly to your Dunk and other predators. And Raptors taking out the search planes. It`s a point of no return for many people. After all it is fiction mixed with real life facts right? And Rickymouse< I just read a book titled The Universal Foam. It`s a book about foam and how many things in this world are only possible because of foam. Foam is not easy to classify as even a soap bubble is a liquid as well as a gas and it`s made from solids converted to liquid. The book may convince you that we came from a foam.

J, Bermuda Triangle eh? Wow, I am kicking myself for not having thought of that myself!

That is actually a pretty cool idea. Hmmm, would a Dunk have been in those waters though? I know my work will be fiction...but I want a tad scientific truth it all as well. Well at least something possible anyway.

But either way, the Triangle is a great locale! I believe in the Triangle stories. Strange, fascinating area.

And, we are derived from FOAM??? Hmmm....I will never be able to shave without thinking of evolution now, thanks. LOL!

I think you're right about life starting in the foam Jspencer, When I go fishing in the stream and put my hook in the foam, I almost always catch a trout.