1.1" Cretaceous Fossil Fish Vertebra In Rock - Morocco

This is a vertebra likely from the extinct bony fish Enchodus. Enchodus flourished during the Upper Cretaceous and was small to medium in size. One of the genus' most notable attributes are the large "fangs" at the front of the upper and lower jaws and on the palatine bones, leading to its misleading nickname among fossil hunters and paleoichthyologists, "the saber-toothed herring". These fangs, along with a long sleek body and large eyes, suggest Enchodus was a predatory species. The vertebra is still in the matrix it was found in, just like is was pulled from the ground.