19" Notogoneus Fossil Fish (Scarce Species) - Wyoming

This is a gorgeous 19.25" Notogoneus osculus, one of the larger and more uncommon fish found in the Green River Formation. It was collected from the 18 inch layer of the formation near Kemmerer, Wyoming. This layer produces much darker and more detailed preservation than the split fish layers.

The plate has been backed plywood for stability and has a french cleat hanger installed so that it can be easily hung on a wall. The entire slab of shale is 27.8 x 16.3"

50 million years ago, in the Eocene, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.

A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.
A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.

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DETAILS
SPECIES
Notogoneus osculus
LOCATION
Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation, 18 Inch Layer
SIZE
19.25" on 27.8 x 16.3" rock
CATEGORY
ITEM
#107874
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