2.1" Juvenile Phareodus Fish Fossil - Scarce Species

Juvenile Phareodus Fish Fossil - Scarce Species #244225

This is a juvenile, 2.1" long Phareodus from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. This predatory fish could grow to sizes close to three feet long, but this one represents a mere baby. Juveniles are actually rarer finds than the adults which themselves are one of the more uncommon fish in the formation.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

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.

Dig Your Own Fossils At Fossil Lake Safari