13.5" Cretaceous Shark, Ray, Fish & Shrimp Association - Lebanon

Cretaceous Shark, Ray, Fish & Shrimp Association - Lebanon #88989

This is a spectacular fossil association from the Upper Cretaceous, Lebanese lagerstätten in Lebanon. There is a 13.5" long fossil shark (Pararhinchodon) preserved right next to a fossil ray (Cyclobatis major), a pair of fish and a pair of fossil shrimp. Individually the shark and the ray of rare components of this fauna, but to find them associated like this is exceptional.

The entire piece of limestone measures 13.5 x 9.5". There are several repaired cracks in the piece with some gap fill restoration along the cracks. The piece has been back with epoxy for stability. We can add a wall hanger to it upon request.

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

$3,950

SPECIES

Pararhinchodon sp, Cyclobatis major, & Unidentified

AGE

Upper Cretaceous (~94 Million Years)