A taxonomic class or group of jawless fish without armor plating, distinguished from heavily armored fish species.
From Greek ana- (without) + aspida (shields), feminine plural form. This is the formal scientific classification for the group of unarmored jawless fish discovered in Paleozoic fossil records.
When paleontologists discovered these fish, they realized not all ancient fish needed iron-man-style armor—evolution tested both strategies, and the flexible approach worked surprisingly well!
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