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

Location: Kemmerer, Wyoming

Weight: 1 Pound 3.3 Ounces

Dimensions: 6.2 Inches Long, 5.6 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick (Plate)

Fish Dimensions: 4.4 Inches Long, 1.7 Inches Wide

Comes with a Free Stand.

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

This is a genuine fossil.

56 million years old, Eocene age.

Diplomystus Dentatus morphology, including its upturned mouth, is typical of a surface-feeding fish. The genus is herrings that likely fed on small surface-dwelling fish, as Knightia is evidenced by numerous fossils found with Knightia in the stomach or mouth.

Approximately fifty million years ago, the ancient Fossil Lake spanned what is now southwest Wyoming. Although its maximum coverage reached an estimated 930 square miles, about 500 square miles of sediment have been preserved to this day. Within the central 230 square miles of the lakebed lie remarkably fossil-rich sediments accompanied by diverse geological features such as deltas, beaches, springs, and lithologies indicative of both central and nearshore aquatic environments.

The unique chemical conditions of the fossil lake stopped decay and prevented scavengers from disturbing dead organisms, allowing thin layers of limestone to build up gradually. This created laminated limestone that holds the world’s largest concentration of fossil fish. Along with various aquatic life and geological elements, Fossil Lake provides the most detailed record of a freshwater lake ecosystem from the Paleogene period.

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.