Fish fossil proves an epic catch
SOMETHING fishy has turned up at an outback farm in the middle of Australia.
The discovery of a 100 million-year-old fossilised fish called the cooyoo is being celebrated in palaeontological circles as the catch of the year.
The cooyoo was an ancient Australian giant, measuring up to three metres in length, with a head like a bulldog and manners to match — often swallowing its prey whole. Curator of marine fossil museum Kronosaurus Korner, Tim Holland, led the expedition after Duncan and Judy Fysh of Proa redclaw farm in Queensland came into the museum a month ago. “They found the bones of an Ichthyosaur in their back paddock. After I examined it, I started flipping over mudstone,” Mr Holland said. “Suddenly, I was looking straight into the cooyoo’s eye.”
Fossils of the cooyoo have been discovered before but have never held such detail. “Previous reconstructions showed bristle-like teeth, suggesting it was a large fish but not a top predator.”
The cooyoo goes on display today at the Kronosaurus Korner in Richmond, Queensland.