9.7" Needle Fish (Dercetis) Fossil - Fish in Stomach!

Needle Fish (Dercetis) Fossil - Fish in Stomach! #200642

This is a predatory needle fish (Dercetis sp.) from Hjoula, Lebanon. The fossil is in excellent condition with no visible restoration and superb preservation. If outstretched, this fish would be just over 12" long. A smaller fish can be observed in the stomach, providing a glimpse at the predatory nature of this fish. Two fossil shrimp accompany this specimen on the limestone.

An acrylic and metal display stand will accompany your purchase.

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