Sale NH0903 Lot 205

LARGE FOSSIL FISH GROUP
Phareodus encaustus, Diplomystus dentatus, Knightia eocaena
Eocene
Green River Formation, Lincoln Co., Wyoming, USA
This large beautifully aesthetic plaque showcases the finest elements of the renowned Green River fish fossils. The larger specimen, with typically fine detail of preservation and preparation, is a big 14 inch long Phareodus encaustus, one of the primary predators in the network of freshwater lakes whose inhabitants were preserved beneath layers of sedimentary mud, 50-40 million years ago. The four smaller fish are two Knightia eocena, a prehistoric sprat that is found in abundance in the fossil record of the area, and two small square-headed Diplomystus dentatus, a predaceous herring. The dark brown of the fossils stands out strongly dynamically against the natural layers of dimpled gray rock, but best of all this matrix contains the shadow of yet another, even larger fish, in the form of the deeply curving impression of its large vertebrae; there are even fragments in the head area, and a small clear patch of fin. This plaque was taken from the F2 Horizon of the Fossil Butte Member of the formation, and attractively framed in African wenge wood it measures approximately 48 3/4 x 31 inches overall and comes with a Green River Fossil certificate.
Estimate $10,000-13,000