Leedsichthys fossil map
Where fossils of Leedsichthys have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 160 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 160 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ancient fish & sharks |
|---|---|
| Lived | 168.2–157.9 million years ago |
| Periods | Jurassic |
| Family | Pachycormidae |
| Named by | Woodward 1889 |
| Fossil records | 6 occurrences at 5 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | UK, France |
| Rock formations | Oxford Clay, Calcaire de Creully, txn:99762 |
About Leedsichthys
Leedsichthys is an extinct genus of pachycormid fish that lived in the oceans of the Middle to Late Jurassic. It was the largest ray-finned fish, and amongst the largest fish known to have ever existed.
The first remains of Leedsichthys were identified in the nineteenth century. Especially important were the finds by the British collector Alfred Nicholson Leeds, after whom the genus was named "Leeds' fish" in 1889. The type species is Leedsichthys problematicus. Leedsichthys fossils have been found in England, France, Germany, Argentina and Chile. In 1999, based on the Chilean discoveries, a second species was named Leedsichthys notocetes, but this was later shown to be indistinguishable from L. problematicus.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Leedsichthys (revision 1378623193), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 22 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in.
