Photo: National Park Service, Fossil Butte National Monument
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Latidae
- Size
- Up to about 20 inches
A Fossil Lake perch that schooled as a juvenile and hunted alone as an adult.
M. labracoides specimens are characterized by 2 dorsal fins and a forked tail and are known to reach 20 inches. Juvenile M. labracoides are commonly found in mass mortalities while adults are found alone, indicating it traveled in schools as a juvenile and became solitary as an adult.
Juvenile and adult specimens are often found preserved with smaller fish in the jaw or stomach.
Species text: National Park Service, Fossil Butte National Monument — Fossil Fish Species.