Today very few animals exist with both an endoskeleton and exoskeleton. Yet, in the Devonian period, a large number of fish species lived with both. Scientists debate if they were for protection or mineral storage, because none of them survived a mass extinction event. Learn all about these strange looking fish as part of a larger series from PBS Eons.

Concepts

fish, evolution, fossils, endoskeletons, fins, exoskeletons

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

science

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Create a Venn diagram of the fish with armor to fish today
• Draw, or print, these interesting extinct fish for further investigation and discussion

Classroom Considerations

• Relies on prior knowledge of endoskeletons and exoskeletons

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Includes closed captioning in English, Serbian, and Vietnamese
• Provides a long list of resources for more details

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.6-8.4 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4