jawless fish
Americannoun
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Any of various primitive fish of the class Agnatha that lack jaws. Living jawless fish (lampreys and hagfish) have a long, cylindrical body and a cartilaginous skeleton. The numerous extinct species were often heavily armored and are among the earliest vertebrate fossils known. Jawless fish occupy an intermediate evolutionary position between primitive chordates and jawed fish.
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Also called agnathan
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See more at cyclostome Compare bony fish cartilaginous fish
Etymology
Origin of jawless fish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The divots were created at a time when animals in the seas were taking on a broad array of new forms, building complex ecosystems from plankton to jawless fish to spaceship-like filter feeders.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2024
While most jawless fish have 5-20 gill arches, jawed fish almost never have more than five.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2023
While McCoy still thinks the Tully Monster was related to jawless fish, she is intrigued by the new study’s findings.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 19, 2023
Another paper describes Tujiaaspis vividus, an extinct jawless fish whose name refers to the Tujia people, a minority ethnic group in China.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2022
A well-preserved jawless fish offers clues to how ancient fins evolved into arms and legs.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
