Hyneria

Hyneria
Classification
Name	Hyneria lindae
Name Meaning	From Linda's Hyner
Family	Tristichopteridae
Diet	Carnivore
Physiology
Description	Large, carnivorous bony fish
Attributes	Large size, for a lobe finned-fish; multiple fins; able to beach itself; powerful jaws
Length	5 m (16.40 ft)
Weight	2 t (4,409 lb)
Biography
Era	Late Devonian
Time	360 MYA
Discovered	1968
Locations	North America

“	A flesh-eating fish, Hyneria weighs two tons and is five meters long. It's an insatiable carnivore.	„
	— Allen Johnson, about Hyneria in Age of Fishes I: Land Dwellers

Hyneria (name meaning "From Hyner") is a genus of giant, lobe-finned fish that originated during the Late Devonian era in what is now North America. Measuring 5 meters long and weighing two tons, this large predatory fish had many similarities to modern snake-heads.

In the Series 1 episode "Age of Fishes I: Land Dwellers", a single female Hyneria was rescued from Late Devonian Pennsylvania, 360 million years ago. She resides in the Primeval Aquarium Enclosure.

Facts

Era & Discovery

Hyneria lived in North America during the Late Devonian around 360 million years ago and died out around 358 million years ago. One of the apex predators of its time, second to Dunkleosteus, Hyneria shared its environment with animals such as Hynerpeton, Stethacanthus, and Bothriolepis.

Physical Attributes

Hyneria was one of the largest lobe-finned fish to have ever lived, measuring over 2.5 – 5 m (8 to 16 feet) long and weighing 2 tonnes (4,409 lbs). Able to swim at incredible speed, which made it a deadly predator. It was covered in large scales, had a solid bony skeleton, and also had powerful jaws and sharp teeth coupled with strong, short muscular front fins that allowed Hyneria to propel itself onto land. They were able to survive on land in short intervals by using its air bladder as primitive lungs, which would have also helped them thrive in oxygen deprived waters. It used keen eyesight and an acute sense of smell to detect prey, such as large fish and even primitive amphibians, such as Hynerpeton.

Behavior & Traits

Hyneria swam in estuaries and rivers of the Late Devonian period, though it would sometimes venture onto land as well as out to sea for food. A large flesh-eating fish, its prey consisted of shark like Stethacanthus and amphibians like Hynerpeton. Victims would be caught in its jaws and then, while still alive, swallowed head first. Fossils suggest that Hyneria would strand itself on the top of mudbanks where they would wait for prey.

Trivia

• Despite being a fish, Hyneria does appear to make sound effects of its own, some of which are that of lizard, snake, walrus, and other unknown sound effects.