Dr. Melina Jobbins shows a part of the newly found ancient armoured fish fossil discovered in Manitoba on July 8, 2025. CTV
Researchers have found a rare fossil of an armoured fish that lived around 390 million years ago in what is now Manitoba. This discovery took place near Lundar and was led by Dr. Melina Jobbins, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Manitoba.
Meet Elmosteus lundarensis
The fish has been named Elmosteus lundarensis. It lived during the mid-Devonian era. This period is not well-known in Manitoba's fossil history, making this find even more exciting. Jobbins explained that this fossil helps fill in gaps in what we know about ancient life in the region.
She said, “It’s great to find more and show what we have in this province. People usually think of dinosaurs, but we have more to share.”
A special kind of fish
This fish belongs to a group called placoderms. These were some of the first fish to have bones around their heads, like built-in armour. They also were among the first animals to grow jaws. This means they’re very early ancestors of humans and many other animals.
“We get to learn how we got jaws and even teeth,” Jobbins said. This discovery gives researchers clues about how animals evolved millions of years ago.
More than just one find
Finding Elmosteus lundarensis also helps scientists learn what kinds of creatures lived in Manitoba's ancient waters. This helps them study how diverse life was at that time.
Dr. Kirstin Brink, a paleontology professor at the University of Manitoba, said the discovery shows how rich Manitoba’s fossil history is. “This group of fish is not well-known, so it’s exciting to find one and share it with people,” she said.
Why Manitoba has so many fossils
Brink explained that Manitoba is great for fossil hunting because the rocks here preserve them well. Many fossils are discovered during mining work. As workers remove rock, fossils sometimes appear by chance. Scientists then step in to collect and study them.
Top find for the researcher
Jobbins called this one of the top three finds in her career. She believes there are more fossils like this one waiting to be found in Manitoba. “I’m sure we’ll find more when we do more fieldwork,” she added.
See the fossil in person
The Elmosteus lundarensis fossil is now on display at the Geological Sciences Museum at the University of Manitoba. Visitors can see it up close and learn more about ancient life that once lived in Manitoba.
