6.2" Fossil Fish (Ichthyodectes) Jaw Section - Kansas

Fossil Fish (Ichthyodectes) Jaw Section - Kansas #197814

This is a 6.2" wide, fossil jaw section of an Ichthyodectes fish from the Smoky Hill Chalk of Gove County, Kansas. This section features very large, complete teeth in relative abundance. This bone has amazing preservation and beautiful color. The jaw is partially exposed from the rock it was found in and also shows other fragments of the fish's skeletal remains. This is a really cool piece in absolutely stunning condition.

This specimen is accompanied by an acrylic display stand.

Ichthyodectes was a bony fish of the order Ichthyodectiformes, which in addition to Ichthyodectes includes the giant Xiphactinus and smaller Gillicus. Large Ichthyodectes grew to more than 10 feet long and were a one of the principal predators of the Western Interior Seaway during the late Cretaceous Period.

Ichthyodectes anaides, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

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.