Ancient fish may have set stage for jaws
New fossils reveal gills possibly on their way to chomping on prey
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FRESH CATCH Fossils of Metaspriggina walcotti suggest that the primitive fish, which was roughly 6 centimeters long, had front gill bars that may have served as a precursor to the jaw. The gill bars, structures that supported the fish’s gills, appear as dark stitches.
Jean-Bernard Caron © ROM