BIRKENIA


Meaning of BIRKENIA in English

genus of extinct early fishlike vertebrates found in Late Silurian and Early Devonian rocks in Europe (from about 421 to 387 million years ago). Birkenia was a primitive jawless vertebrate that attained a length of only about 10 cm (4 inches). Birkenia was adapted for active swimming, and its sucking mouth was in a terminal rather than a ventral position. The head of Birkenia was covered by small scales rather than by the fused bony shield of some of its relatives.

Britannica English vocabulary.      Английский словарь Британика.