[non-ceph] crushing jaws on big fish

[monty]

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Ancient 'Jaws' had monster bite

(edit: I originally said
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Maverick' risk to science debate which I'm leaving for humor value in my post below)

the article mentions what I was thinking, that Dunkleosteus terrelli might have developed huge jaw strength applied at a point for mollusc shells. It seems like if it attacked armor plates of other fish or arthropods as they also mention, the load would get distributed to the joints, while rigid ceph shells would be crushed by that jaw design. But maybe I'm just prone to seeing ceph-related stuff everywhere.

 

[Phil]

Monty's link seems to have changed. Here's the correct link:

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Ancient 'Jaws' had monster bite

I wonder if there is a cephalopod connection? Dunkleosteus overlapped with the very earliest goniatites and, of course, nautiloids. I can't imagine there being the need for such enormous jaws to generate huge pressure to bust a small mollusc shell; it just looks like overkill to me. I wonder what level of the crushing force would need to be to burst through a primitive cephalopod shell?

 

[monty]

Monty's link seems to have changed. Here's the correct link:

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Ancient 'Jaws' had monster bite

I wonder if there is a cephalopod connection? Dunkleosteus overlapped with the very earliest goniatites and, of course, nautiloids. I can't imagine there being the need for such enormous jaws to generate huge pressure to bust a small mollusc shell; it just looks like overkill to me. I wonder what level of the crushing force would need to be to burst through a primitive cephalopod shell?

Oops. Cut and paste error, probably, since I commented on that other one in my LiveJournal. As long as I've mentioned it, though, I'll mention that regarding the other link: I suspect Lord Rees may not have realized that many Americans will read "maverick" as "cowboy hero," where I think he's trying to politely say "crackpot." One of my friends pointed out that this is a pretty good representation of the difference between the UK and the US in general.