The elongated body of some present-day fish evolved in
different ways. Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have now
discovered a new mode of body elongation based on a discovery in an
exceptionally preserved fossilfish from Southern Ticino. In Saurichthys
curionii, an early ray-finned fish, the vertebral arches of the axial skeleton
doubled, resulting in the elongation of its body and giving it a
needlefish-like appearance. The 240-million-year-old fossil find from
Switzerland also revealed that this primitive fish was not as flexible as
today’s eels, nor could it swim as fast or untiringly as a tuna.
