Dinosaurs & Prehistory - Other prehistoric animals - Leedsichthys - Prehistoric fish - Prehistoric life
What did the giant Leedsichthys mainly feed on?
Correct!
Although Leedsichthys problematicus was one of the largest fish in Earth's history, it was not a gigantic predator. It was a suspension or filter feeder and had specialized structures on its gills that allowed it to filter out small particles of food from the water flowing past. Its diet was fundamentally similar to that of today's large plankton eaters such as whale sharks and basking sharks. So the huge body does not automatically mean that Leedsichthys hunted large prey. Leedsichthys lived in the Jurassic. Fossils are known from England, France, Germany and Chile, among others. Liston and colleagues report sizes of approximately 8.0 to 16.5 meters for individuals studied, making it one of the most impressive known fish in the fossil record.
Despite its enormous size, Leedsichthys was not a great hunter, but rather filtered plankton and small organisms from the water.
