Pharyngolepis had  well-developed anal and caudal fins, but no paired or dorsal fins that would have helped stabilise it in the water, and so was probably a poor swimmer, remaining close to the sea bottom.
fˈɑːɹɹɪŋɡˌoʊlpiz hæd wˈɛldɪvˈɛləpt ˈeɪnəl ænd kˈɔːdəl fˈɪnz, bˌʌt nˈoʊ pˈɛɹd ɔːɹ dˈoːɹsəl fˈɪnz ðæt wʊdhɐv hˈɛlpt stˈeɪbəlˌaɪz ɪɾ ɪnðə wˈɔːɾɚ, ænd sˌoʊ wʌz pɹˈɑːbəbli ɐ pˈʊɹ swˈɪmɚ, ɹᵻmˈeɪnɪŋ klˈoʊs tə ðə sˈiː bˈɑːɾəm.