Scientists have found an ancient fish creature that has human facial features, according to USA Today.
"This is like finding the nose of a space shuttle in a hay wagon from the Middle Ages," paleontologist Xiaobo Yu of Kean University in New Jersey, and one of the researchers told USA Today in an e-mail.
The species is part of a recently discovered group called entelognathus primordialis or "primordial complete-jaw."
According to USA Today, there was in abundant amount of the fish in seas roughly 420 million years ago. The Entelognathus had complex jaws resembling bone-like plates similar to the ones found in the jaws of human beings, dogs, and several other living animals that have backbones. Other fish related to the primordial had basic jaws consisting of mainly cartilage.
"There are probably still more animals like entelognathus waiting to be found, that offer a slight or more dramatic variation on the same theme," paleontologist Martin Brazeau of Imperial College in London told USA Today. "It's an exciting prospect."
The fish species has allowed scientists to gain more understanding about the creation of rattlesnakes, guppies, penguins, and homo sapiens.
Scientists found the first entelognathus fossil in China in 2010. When they further examined the specimen, researchers discovered it resembled a placoderm or an ancient swimmer dressed in armor built from "bony plates."
"(The find is) "a little bombshell," University of Chicago paleontologist Michael Coates told USA Today. "It's important because it's unexpected. It does present something we had no hint of before."
After discovering the ancient fish, researchers categorized the species as jawed vertebrates. When classifying the fish species, they discovered there were more animals with jaws and backbones like the ancient fish; which include sharks, rays, fish with bone plates and skeletons made from cartilage, and descendants of theirs such as amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
