A variety of fish lived in lochs within the hot, desert environment of Scotland during the Devonian Period.
The Devonian Period lasted from about 416 to 359 million years ago. It is sometimes referred to as the Age of Fish.
Fish were the only common vertebrate animals at this time. Land vertebrates were just making a first appearance.
Examples of fossils from Scotland illustrate the richness of fish life at the time. In the Devonian Period, Scotland was part of a large continent and was subject to a hot, arid climate.
The fish inhabited large lochs that developed in low-lying areas. The fossils tend to be concentrated into thin layers which record repeated mass death events of the fish in the lochs.
The display also looks at an important aspect of the early evolution of land vertebrates from fish ancestors – the development of limbs from fins.