User:IC1101-Capinatator/sandbox

Walossekia postponed, doing Westrichus.

Westrichus kraetschmeri is an extinct acanthodian which lived in the Upper Carboniferous and the Lower Permian of Germany.

Description
This animal was very similar to the well-known genus Acanthodes, however it was equipped with an extremely elongated pelvic fin that spanned much of the animal's belly: it started behind the head and ended just before the retracted anal fin. The appearance, compared to that of Acanthodes, was therefore much more massive. However, the head was smaller. The whole animal was just over 30 centimetres in length. Like all acanthodians, Westrichus had large spines on its fins. The dorsal fin was small and pointed backward, and was located near the larger and elongated anal fin.

Classification
First described in 2003 on the basis of fossils found in the Meisenheim Formation, Westrichus kraetschmeri is considered a very specialised acanthodian. Like many derived representatives of the group, Westrichus had a low number of fins. If is considered a close relative of the genus Acanthodes.

Palaeobiology
Westrichus fed on small crustaceans, and occasionally small fish, amphibians and even members of its own species