13.6" Uncommon Fish Fossil (Mioplosus) - Wyoming

Uncommon Fish Fossil (Mioplosus) - Wyoming #158586

This is an excellent, 13.6" long, fossil fish (Mioplosus labracoides) from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. Mioplosus is one of the more uncommon species from formation. It's nicely centered on a solid, rectangularly cut slab of shale and comes with a display stand.

We can add a backing and wall hanger to this piece upon request.

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.

Dig Your Own Fossils At Fossil Lake Safari