Odd Pycnodontiform Fish Coccodus - 6.2"

This is probably my favorite fish on the lot I recently purchased. It's a very odd Coccodus insignis also known as a crusher fish. At 6.2" long it's quite large for the species and the preservation/preparation is exquisite. Just check out the moliform teeth in it's mouth which presumably would have allowed it to easily crush the shells of small mollusks and crustaceans. There is no repair, restoration or color enhancement on this piece.

The Upper Cretaceous, Lebonese lagerstätten yields some of the most exquisitely preserved fossil fish in the world. Over 80 genre are currently described, with many more still awaiting description. These beautiful fossils have been quarried near Byblos, Lebanon for well over a century and include sharks, rays, shrimp, ray-finned fishes and more.

I've including some photos of the quarry in the photo set.