Phareodus Fossil Fish For Sale

Phareodus is an extinct genus of bony tongue fish that lived in the Eocene epoch. They resembled bulky arowanas and had a mouthful of vicious teeth. These fish are one of the most prized fossils coming out of the Green River Formation: their unique pectoral fins and huge splayed anal fins are attractive to collectors and look quite excellent when on display. These beauties averaged 7 inches long, though the longest Phareodus on record comes in at 2 ½ feet.

More About Phareodus

6 Items ($295 to $14,500)

Green River Fossil Fish Mural with Giant Phareodus #295644

66" Green River Fossil Fish "Mural" with Giant Phareodus

$14,500

Green River Fossil Fish Mural With Diplomystus & Phareodus #254198

47" Green River Fossil Fish "Mural" With Diplomystus & Phareodus

$7,950

Spectacular Fish Fossil (Phareodus) - Wyoming #309853

14" Spectacular Fish Fossil (Phareodus) - Wyoming

$2,250

Plate of Four Fossil Fish (Phareodus & Knightia) - Wyoming #295714

15.3" Plate of Four Fossil Fish (Phareodus & Knightia) - Wyoming

$1,495

Scarce Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Wyoming #300321

11.8" Scarce Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Wyoming

$995

Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Uncommon Species #307161

5.9" Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Uncommon Species

$295

More About Phareodus

Phareodus was a wide-bodied predatory fish that swam in freshwater environments through the Eocene. They belonged to the Osteoglossidae family, which are commonly referred to as the bony tongue fishes or arowana. While the Phareodus genus went extinct in the Eocene in the northern hemisphere, the Osteoglossids persisted in the southern hemisphere, where their modern cousins still live in the rivers and lakes of South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Modern arowanas have a longer, sleeker body plan than Phareodus and are recorded at greater lengths than Phareodus ever attained.

The genus Phareodus comprises four species that were split over the North American continent, Australia, and Europe. P. mulleri inhabited Europe and P. queenslandicus lived in Australia. The two most recognizable species of the genus, P. encaustus and P. testis, have an extensive fossil record in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. All of the species lived in the Eocene, but there are instances of the genus in the Paleocene deposits of the Santa Lucia Formation in Bolivia, roughly 63 million years ago.

P. encaustus and P. testis are two of the more uncommon, though not rare, fossil fish coming out of the Green River Formation and are highly sought after by collectors. Phenomenal adult specimens come out of the mid-lake 18-inch layer and a lot of the smaller Phareodus fossils come from the sandwich beds near the shore. Shoreline deposits have also yielded a few juvenile mortality plates that are highly aesthetic display pieces and provide paleontologists with clues into the species' life stages.

What Did Phareodus Eat, And What Ate Them?

These fish were highly predatory and ate many of the smaller species that inhabit the lakes of the Green River Formation and other localities. There are a few instances of Phareodus fossils that died with other fish in their mouths (aspirations). These fish made the most out of the abundance of other smaller species in the area, such as Knightia and Diplomystus.

Being one of the bigger fish has its advantages when it comes to not getting eaten by other fish, but there were still bigger fish and other animals out there willing to make a snack out of Phareodus. Crocodilians and large birds were most likely its predators, along with otter-like mammals of the family Pantolestidae. The lakes of the Green River Formation were thriving ecosystems teeming with life, and many animals at every trophic level were eating what they could.

Phareodus Reproduction

Because of the abundance of fossils throughout the different depths of the lakes in the Green River Formation, scientists have a fairly good understanding of the ontogenetic stages of Phareodus fish. Large mortality plates featuring a multitude of juvenile fish and a couple of adults suggest that young Phareodus tended to school for safety, watched over by adults. Parents protecting their young is an uncommon phenomenon for fish and is exceedingly rare for species that are seemingly solitary as adults. Interestingly, modern arowanas hatch their eggs in the male’s mouth. He swims around until the yolk dissolves and the baby fish swim away to lead their individual lives. This modern behavior provides paleontologists with a bit more plausibility to assert baby care claims.

As the fish reached adulthood, they journeyed into deeper waters in search of food before they began the reproduction process all over again. Unless, of course, they were eaten!

Identifying Features

Phareodus is one of the more unmistakable species to come out of the Green River Formation, though they may be confused with Priscacara or Cockerellites. Though they all possess similar wide, oval body shapes, each species has distinct features. The glaring distinction is that Priscacara and Cockerellites have spines situated midway along their dorsal regions, whereas Phareodus has rounded, flared dorsal and anal fins towards the base of the tail. Phareodus also has a slightly upturned snout and thin, flowy pectoral fins that can be quite long. The mouthful of sharp teeth and immense plated scales are also giveaways that you are probably looking at Phareodus.

Featured Photos

Exceptional, Fish Fossil (Phareodus) - Wyoming #189302

Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Beautiful Specimen #163417

PHAREODUS FOSSIL FISH FOR SALE

More About Phareodus

What Did Phareodus Eat, And What Ate Them?

Phareodus Reproduction

Identifying Features

Featured Photos