6" Juvenile Fossil Fish (Phareodus) - Green River Formation

This is a 6" long juvenile fossil fish (Phareodus encaustus) from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. We collected it this past summer from the "gastropod layers" at the Lindgren Quarry outside of Kemmerer, Wyoming.

It comes with a display stand.

Phareodus is a genus of predatory freshwater fish found in the famous Fossil Lake deposits of the Green River Formation in Wyoming. It had a mouthful of sharp pointy teeth, making it a voracious lake predator. In fact, the name Phareodus actually means "to have teeth". Spines from other fish such as Mioplosus and Priscacara have frequently been found preserved in their stomachs.

About Fossil Lake

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.
A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Phareodus encaustus
LOCATION
Lindgren Quarry, Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation, "Gastropod Layers"
SIZE
6" long on 9.6 x 6.8" rock
CATEGORY
ITEM
#275197
GUARANTEE
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.