Obaichthyidae

Obaichthyidae (also known as "spiny gars" or "spike gars") is an extinct family of ginglymodian ray-finned fish that lived in what is now Africa, South America, and southern Europe during the Upper Cretaceous period (Aptian–Cenomanian ages). They were close relatives of the modern gars of the family Lepisosteidae, with the two groups making up the superfamily Lepisosteoidea. Though obaichthyids are generally similar to their extant relatives, they possessed a mobile maxilla along with a large posterior spine on their scales. The specializations of the skull seen in members of the family suggest that the fish were most likely feeding in a similar style to that seen in syngnathiforms, especially those specialized for pivot feeding. Though they are mostly found in fresh and brackish water deposits, obaichthyids also had a tolerance to saltwater similar to modern gars.