Cannibal predatory habits and their relationships with body shape and swimming pattern in the Cretaceous fish Dastilbe crandalli Jordan, 1910 from the Araripe Basin, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

Dastilbe crandalli is a small to medium-sized fossil Chanidae species, between 65 mm and 180 mm in length, without dentition, feeding mainly on algae and small planktonic and benthic organisms. The fusiform and hydrodynamic body shape combined with the forked fin and elasmoid scales allow them to develop high speeds and less drag in the water, proving to be useful for escaping predators and predating on fish, including small specimens of D. crandalli. The presence of fossils showing predation among specimens of D. crandalli from the Cretaceous of Araripe Basin evidences cannibalism behavior in this species.