Huge, 37" Guitar Ray (Rhinobatos) Fossil - Hjoula, Lebanon

Huge, Guitar Ray (Rhinobatos) Fossil - Hjoula, Lebanon #214619

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This is an outstanding, and quite rare "Guitar Ray" (Rhinobatos) from the Upper Cretaceous deposits near Byblos, Lebanon. It is by far the largest Rhinobatos that we've had available, measuring in at a whopping 36.7" long with wonderfully detailed preservation. If fully outstretched, this gorgeous ray would have been approximately 38" long. The rock also contains multiple shrimp (Carpopenaeus sp.) and partial fish fossils. Truly an amazing and fascinating specimen!

The back side of this limestone slab has been coated in a layer of fiberglass and backed for stability. It is accompanied by a metal display stand, or upon request we can add a french cleat style wall hanger at no additional charge.

There are two repaired cracks through the head of the ray. Each required some gap fill within the crack and touchup restoration of the ray.

The genus Rhinobatos still exists in our seas in the tropical and hot temperate regions, and includes about 30 present day species. There are eight described species of Rhinobatos from the Lebanese deposits; Rhinobatos whitfieldi is one of the smaller ones.

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

$4,950

SPECIES

Rhinobatos sp. & Carpopenaeus callirostris (Shrimp}

AGE

Upper Cretaceous (~94 Million Years)