| Megapiranha Temporal range: Late Miocene | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Megapiranha paranensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Subfamily: | Serrasalminae |
| Genus: | †Megapiranha |
| Species: | †M. rastrosus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Megapiranha paranensis Cione et al. 2009 | |
Megapiranha paranensis is an extinct serrasalmid characin fish from the Late Miocene (8–10 million years ago) of Argentina described in 2009. It is thought to have been up to a meter in length. The holotype consists only of premaxillae and a zigzag tooth row; the rest of its body is unknown. This dentition is reminiscent of both the double-row seen in pacus, and the single row seen in the teeth of modern piranhas, suggesting that M. paranensis is a transitional form. It was a bigger relative of the Piranha.
In the Media[]
- Megapiranha made an appearance in River Monsters: Prehistoric Terror. Jeremy Wade discusses it’s estimated capabilities and compares it with modern day piranhas.
- Megapiranha is one of the tameable creatures in Ark: Survival Evolved
