Some of Earth’s extinct giants may have been smaller than thought

Body size estimates of some of Earth’s larger-than-life species may have been just that: a little bit too large for real life.  

Take Dunkleosteus, an armored fish with a powerful bite force that lived around 360 million years ago (SN: 7/17/18). It had long been thought to be as much as 10 meters long, based on the fossilized remains of its massive bony head. But the assumed head-to-body ratio used in that calculation might not have been correct. Instead, the fish was probably about half as long and much stouter, earning it the nickname “Chunkleosteus” from some researchers.  

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