3" Cretaceous Bony Fish (Thryptodus) "Rostrum" - Kansas

This is a 3" long fossilized "rostrum" section from a rare Cretaceous bony fish (Thryptodus sp.). It was collected from the Smoky Hill Chalk in Gove County, Kansas. The bone has excellent preservation and minimal repair. This is a really cool specimen that collectors shouldn't pass up. Thryptodus had a thick, blunt snout that paleontologists conjecture was used like a battering ram. This genus had some variability in the look of the rostrum depending on where it was located along the snout.

The Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk formation is a Cretaceous conservation Lagerstätte, or fossil-rich geological formation, known primarily for its exceptionally well-preserved marine reptiles. It outcrops in parts of northwest Kansas--its most famous localities for fossils--and in southeastern Nebraska. Large, well-known fossils excavated from the Smoky Hill Chalk include marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, large bony fish such as Xiphactinus, mosasaurs, pterosaurs, and turtles.
SOLD
DETAILS
SPECIES
Thryptodus sp.
LOCATION
Gove County, Kansas
FORMATION
Niobrara Formation
SIZE
3" long
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#208322
GUARANTEE
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.