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Actinopterygian node I: Keystone-shape dermosphenotic, presence of a series of supraorbital bones.
Saurichthyiforms, such as the Triassic Saurichthys above, were recognisably pike-like fish, with a characteristic caudal placement of the dorsal and anal fins. The morphological characteristics of these fish are sufficiently similar to that of pikes for their lifestyles to have been most probably very similar. Thus, it is generally hypothesised that the large (up to a meter in length) saurichthyiform fish were ambush predators, using their elongated and narrow mouths to snatch the smaller fish they probably fed on after a rapid burst of swimming.