13.1" Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Wyoming

 

This is a superb, 13.1" long example of one of the more uncommon fossil fish found in the Green River Formation, Phareodus. It is remarkably detailed and nicely presented on a 18x10.6 slab of shale. Just check out the closeup photos to see the detail in this magnificent specimen. There are a couple repaired cracks running through the rock and fish but otherwise it hasn't been restored.

We can back the blade and add wall mounting hardware allowing it to be easily hung on a wall for no charge upon request.

If you look closely you can see how Phareodus has a mouthful of sharp pointy teeth making is a voracious lake predator. In fact the name Phareodus actually means "to have tooth" Spines from other fish such as Mioplosus and Priscacara have frequently been found preserved in it's stomach.
50 million years ago, in the Eocene, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.

A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.
A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.


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DETAILS
SPECIES
Phareodus testis
LOCATION
Fossil Safari Quarry, Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation
SIZE
13.1" long on 18x10.8" rock
CATEGORY
ITEM
#77771
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