Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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Fishes

Agnathans

The agnathans were jawless fishes and the first vertebrates to appear on the earth. Four species belong to this group: Endeiolepis aneri, Euphanerops longaevus, Escuminaspis laticeps, Levesquaspis patteni.

Placoderms

The placoderms were fish with bony shields. They became very common during the Devonian, only to disappear by the end of this period. They are represented at Miguasha by the species Bothriolepis canadensis and Plourdosteus canadensis.

Acanthodians

The acanthodians were small fishes with rigid spines on their bellies and tails. Miguasha's four species of acanthodians are: Diplacanthus ellsi, Diplacanthus horridus, Homalacanthus concinnus, and Triazeugacantus affinis.

Actinopterygians

Bony fish with striped fins make up most of the current fish population, with more than 29,000 species. Miguasha Cheirolepis canadensis are among the oldest representatives of this group.

Sarcopterygians

The sarcopterygians, a group of fish with lobe fins, ensured the transition of vertebrates from sea to land. One of them was the fish Eusthenopteron foordi. For a century, it was thought to be the link between fishes and tetrapods because of its lungs and bony paired fins.

This group is especially well represented at Miguasha with eight species: Miguashaia bureaui, Scaumenacia curta, Fleurantia denticulata, Holoptychius jarviki, Quebecius quebecensis, Eusthenopteron foordi, Callistiopterus clappi, and Elpistostege watsoni.

Invertebrates

Miguasha's invertebrate fauna include one of the oldest known land scorpions: Petaloscorpio bureaui, which could reach 30 centimetres in length. In 2003, the discovery of a fossilized centipede was a first in 125 years of excavations. Centipedes were the first animals to live on land. Among the other invertebrate species of the Escuminac Formation are some eurypterids-water scorpions a metre long.

Fossil plants

The fossil flora here includes some ten plant species and more than 70 spore species. There are many fossils of the Archaeopteris species. It made up the first forests of the Devonian Period. This primitive tree reached a height of over seven metres, and still reproduced by spores. It is considered an intermediate link to coniferous trees and seed plants.