6.4" Fossil Fish Jaw with Teeth - Isle of Wight, England

This is a rare, 4.8" wide jaw section of a Lower Cretaceous age fossil fish, Lepidotes sp.. It was collected from the Wealden Clays of the Wessex Formation on the Isle of Wight. Even though the jaw was found disarticulated within the rock, it still contains over 20 teeth! There is a repaired crack through the middle of the specimen.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

Lepidotes is a member of Semionotiformes (order of ray-finned fish) that through evolution, developed a new jaw mechanism that differed from earlier fish. Instead of engulfing fish at close quarters, Lepidotes was able to form a tube-like shape with its jaw, facilitating the ability to suck food in from a distance. This was because over time, their upper jaw bones developed shorter, which freed them from the fixed connection to their cheek bones.