The Devonian Period and Dunkleosteus Terrelli

During the Devonian Period of the Paleozoic Era (459 to 360 million years ago), Ohio was covered with water. The upper waters were clear and teemed with life, including the famous Rocky River fossil, Dunkleosteus terrelli, named after Dr. David Dunkle in 1956. He was a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Dunkleosteus was a huge predator, at least 20 feet long and weighing two tons or more. Dunkleosteus had a jaw with two pairs of bony plates forming a beak-like structure. There was a mass extinction at the end of the Devonian period and Dunkleosteus did not survive. A model of this ferocious-looking creature is displayed at the Rocky River Nature Center. For more information, click here to read the full article by Gay Christensen-Dean.