6" Needle Fish (Rhynchodercetis) Fossil - Hakel, Lebanon

Needle Fish (Rhynchodercetis) Fossil - Hakel, Lebanon #201373

This is a predatory needle fish (Rhynchodercetis sp.) from Hakel, Lebanon. The fossil is in excellent condition and has superb preservation. If outstretched, this fish may be just about 8" long. A smaller, Ctenothrissa fish accompanies the needle fish on the limestone. There is a repaired crack running through the limestone and portions of the fossil that were professionally stabilized.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hjoula, Lebanon dates back many centuries. In fact, they were first mentioned in writing by Herodotus, over 450 years before the birth of Christ. The first scientific work on these localities began in the 1800s: these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families.

These deposits represent a warm, shallow sea of the Middle Cretaceous, and have yielded over 70 types of fish and numerous other genera found nowhere else in the world. The preservation on many of these specimens is truly amazing: many examples of soft bodied preservation have been found.

A photo of one of the quarries at Hjoula, Lebanon