3.8" Cretaceous Fossil Fish (Nematonotus) & Brittle Star - Lebanon

Cretaceous Fossil Fish (Nematonotus) & Brittle Star - Lebanon #48517

This is a excellent 3.45" long Nematonotus longispinus from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Lebanon. It has a very elongated first ray of it's pectoral fin which separates this species of Nematonotus from others found in the same deposits. Beautiful preservation on this fossil fish which displays well against the light colored matrix. There is some restoration to the fins on this fish.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hakel, 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 the quarry at Hakel, Lebanon