3.2" Diplomystus Dentatus Fossil Fish Green River FM WY Eocene Age COA, Stand

Location: Kemmerer, Wyoming

Weight: 7.4 Ounces

Dimensions: 5.6 Inches Long, 4 Inches Wide, 0.2 Inches Thick (Plate)

Fish Dimensions: 3.2 Inches Long, 1.1 Inches Wide

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The item pictured is the one you will receive.

56 million years old, Eocene age.

The Diplomystus Dentatus is characterized by its distinctive upturned mouth, typical of fish that feed near the water's surface. This genus belongs to the herring family and likely consumed small fish that lived on or near the surface, as many fossils have been found with Knightia in their mouth or stomach. Around fifty million years ago, Fossil Lake covered the area now known as southwest Wyoming. Although the lake once spanned about 930 square miles, roughly 500 square miles of sediment remain today. The central 230 square miles of this ancient lakebed are rich in fossils and feature various geological formations such as deltas, beaches, springs, and rocks from both central and nearshore areas.

The extraordinary chemistry of Fossil Lake stopped decay and kept scavengers away, while ultra-thin layers of limestone stacked up over time. This created striking, laminated limestones housing the planet’s densest collection of fossil fish. Alongside diverse aquatic life and unique geologic features, Fossil Lake boldly stands as the ultimate Paleogene record of a freshwater lake ecosystem.

Since the discovery in the 1870s, many perfectly preserved fossil fish have been recovered. Preserved with the fish in the laminated limestone is a complete aquatic ecosystem: cyanobacteria, plants, insects, crustaceans (shrimp, crawfish, and ostracods), amphibians (frog and primitive salamander), alligators, turtles, birds, and mammals, including the oldest pantolestid (otter-like animal). The subtropical terrestrial ecosystem surrounding the lake is also represented by rare fossils, including a horse, two snakes, lizards, two bat species, birds, an apatemyid (an arboreal insectivore), a minced (a primitive carnivore), insects, and more than 325 types of leaves, seeds, and flowers.

Please be aware of the nature of fossils:

Being buried under the ground for millions of years under tons of pressure tends to be rough. No fossil comes out of the ground whole and perfect. Most fossils have undergone some restoration, while others are altered by man, simply to enhance their presentation in different ways. These are part of the natural beauty of the fossil and are not considered defects.