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FISH FOSSILS FOR SALE
Dig Your Own Fish Fossils In Wyoming
FossilEra's own Fossil Lake Safari located in southwestern Wyoming near the town of Kemmerer, about 2 1/2 hours from Salt Lake City. This private dig offers visitors of all ages the unique experience of digging and finding their own fossils. You can split rock from the 50 million-year-old Fossil Lake, one of the world’s most biodiverse and prolific fossil formations. The best part, customers get to keep the fossils that they find!
What Are Fish?
The scientific definition of fish is complex and more than a little confusing, so here is a much simplified definition: fish are chordates with backbones or notochords (cartilaginous support), live entirely in water, have apparatuses to extract oxygen from water (gills), appendages without digits, fins, and are generally ectothermic. There are exceptions to these characteristics: for example, some fish can live for long periods of time out of water, and some fish like tuna and large sharks have body temperatures well above the temperature of the surrounding water, but for the most part these characteristics describe fish. Fish can have jaws or be jawless, have scales or skin, drink water or not. A number of organisms we call fish actually are not fish at all. Crayfish are not fish: they do not have a backbone and their appendages have digits, in this case claws. Likewise, shellfish are not fish: this is a marketing term to refer to organisms from the water that have shells. About 32,000 species of fish live in both freshwater and saltwater, from high mountain lakes to the intertidal zones to 23,000 feet deep in the ocean abyssal plains.
Where Are Fossil Fish Found?
Fossil fish can be found on every continent, including Antarctica. A number of significant fossil sites around the world produce a number of fish.
* The Green River Formation of Wyoming produces large quantities of fossil fish, including rays. It is also known for its amazing preservation, which results in some of the world's most stunning fish fossils. You can even dig your own fossil fish at our Fossil Lake Safari near Kemmerer, Wyoming!
* The Solnhofen Limestone of Germany has produced some of the most amazing fossils ever discovered, including the famous Archeopteryx fossil. It also produces fish and other marine animal fossils.
* Some of the most exquisitely preserved Cretaceous fish in the world come from the limestone deposits near Byblos, Lebanon. The discovery of amazingly preserved fossil fish dates back many centuries. In fact, they were first mentioned in writing by Herodotus, over 450 years before the birth of Christ.
* The Crato Formation of Brazil has yielded twenty-five species of early Cretaceous fish, many with their stomach contents intact.
* The Gogo Formation of Australia has produced fifty species of fish, many with soft body preservation of anatomical features as small as nerves.
These are only a few of the most famous fish fossil sites: many, many more are out there!
Featured Wyoming Fossil Fish
The Green River Formation is a geological treasure trove located in parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado in the United States. Renowned for its exceptional preservation of fossils, particularly fish, it offers a rare glimpse into the ancient aquatic ecosystems that thrived around 50 to 53 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. The formation was created as sediment gradually accumulated in the freshwater lakes and streams that once covered the region.
A beautiful Priscacara serrata fossil fish from the Green River Formation of Wyoming.
What makes the Green River Formation particularly remarkable is the exquisite detail in which the fossils are preserved. The fine-grained limestone and shale layers have provided an ideal environment for the fossils to be embedded and protected over millions of years. This exceptional preservation has yielded an astonishing diversity of fish species, with over 25 families and hundreds of genera identified thus far. Some of the most common species found include Knightia, Diplomystus, and Priscacara, although numerous others ranging from tiny minnows to large predatory fish have also been discovered.
The fossils from the Green River Formation offer invaluable insights into the evolutionary history and ecological dynamics of ancient freshwater ecosystems. Researchers have been able to study aspects such as morphology, feeding habits, reproductive strategies, and even evidence of predation, providing a comprehensive picture of life in these ancient lakes and rivers. Furthermore, the meticulous study of these fossils has contributed significantly to our understanding of broader topics such as climate change, biodiversity dynamics, and the interplay between geological and biological processes over geological time scales.
Beyond their scientific significance, Green River Formation fossil fish hold considerable appeal for collectors, enthusiasts, and educators alike. Their exquisite beauty, coupled with the fascinating stories they tell about the Earth's distant past, make them prized additions to private collections, museum exhibits, and educational programs. Whether you're a seasoned fossil enthusiast or someone simply captivated by the wonders of natural history, the Green River Formation fossil fish offer a fascinating look through time, connecting us with the ancient world in a truly immersive way.
Green River Fossil Fish For Sale