5.6" Rare Fossil Caiman (Tsoabichi) Upper Skull with Fish - Wyoming

Rare Fossil Caiman (Tsoabichi) Upper Skull with Fish - Wyoming #299741

This is an absolutely breathtaking fossil association collected from our very own Fossil Safari Quarry in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The rock contains a near complete upper skull of Tsoabichi greenriverensis, an extinct species of caimanine crocodylian. The skull is laid ventrally on the rock and measures 5.6" long. It's naturally associated with four fish, one Diplomystus dentatus and three Knightia eocaena. The Diplomystus is 4.5" long and the Knightia range from 3.3" to 3.65" long. All are beautifully centered on a 16.25 x 13.5" slab of rock. It was collected at the start of this summer (2024) and just arrived to our warehouse straight from the prep lab!

It is accompanied by a metal display stand, however it has been backed with wood and upon request we can add wall mounting hardware.

There is some minor repair work to some of the teeth, two of which have some gap fill restoration. Restoration makes up less than 1% of this specimen. It is truly a sight to behold!

A photo of the skull right after it was discovered.

50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses, and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.

A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.

Dig Your Own Fossils At Fossil Lake Safari