13" Cretaceous Ray (Rhombopterygia) - Lebanon

Cretaceous Ray (Rhombopterygia) - Lebanon #163539

This is a beautifully preserved, 13" long, fossil ray (Rhombopterygia) from the Upper Cretaceous deposits near Byblos, Lebanon. This is an exceptionally nice example of the species preserved on on a thick slab of limestone. There are several small, fossil fish also associated with the ray. There is a repaired crack running through the limestone but it doesn't detract from this amazing fossil.

Rhinobatidae is a family of rays, commonly referred to as guitar fish. They are known for an elongated body with a flattened head and trunk and small, ray-like wings. The combined range of the various species is tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters worldwide.

Comes with a metal display stand.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hjoula, Lebanon dates back many centuries. In fact, they were first mentioned in writing by Herodotus, over 450 years before the birth of Christ. The first scientific work on these localities began in the 1800s: these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families.

These deposits represent a warm, shallow sea of the Middle Cretaceous, and have yielded over 70 types of fish and numerous other genera found nowhere else in the world. The preservation on many of these specimens is truly amazing: many examples of soft bodied preservation have been found.

A photo of one of the quarries at Hjoula, Lebanon