10.6" Phareodus Fossil Fish - Scarce Species

This is an beautiful example of one of the more uncommon fossil fish found in the Green River Formation. It is a 10.6" long Phareodus which was collected from the 18 inch layer of the formation, known for it's dark brown and highly detailed preservation. It's nicely centered on an unbroken 12.7x8.4" slab of rock which is just about 1.2" thick. Comes with a display stand.

Fossil fish from the 18 inch layer split out "ghosted" underneath the surface of the rock. Typically only bumps from the back bone can be seen in faint relief against the surface of the rock. Because of this they typically collect this layer at night using high powered lighting which allow them to better see the shadows from these bumps on the rock. These fish must then be prepared removing all of the matrix from on top of them, a very meticulous and time consuming process.

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.