3 Foot Fossil Bowfin (Amia) From Wyoming - Very Rare Species

This is probably the most impressive fish we found this season at our Fossil Lake Safari quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming. It is a huge 3 foot long fossil bowfin (Amia pattersoni), which is one of the rarest fish found in the Green River Formation.

This fish was was found going into a fractured area of the quarry wall so it was collected in over a dozen pieces. It had to be put back together during preparation and was inlaid into a nicely patterned piece of shale for stability and display purposes. This stone has been backed with wood and is ready to be hung on a wall. There is some restoration along the repaired cracks and parts of the skull were re-articulated during preparation.

Due to the size and weight of this piece it will be shipped on a pallet or in a crate via freight. Our website cannot automatically calculate freight shipping costs, so these costs will be calculated and billed after purchase. Please contact us prior to purchase if you need a shipping quote.

About Amia

Amia pattersoni is an extinct species of bowfin fish from the Eocene-aged Green River Formation of Wyoming. A close relative of the modern bowfin (Amia calva), this species belonged to the family Amiidae, a lineage that has survived for over 150 million years. Amia pattersoni is distinguished by its elongated body, rounded head, and the presence of a long dorsal fin, which it likely used for precise movements in the warm, freshwater lakes of ancient North America. Fossils of this species are relatively rare compared to other Green River fish, such as Knightia or Diplomystus, but they provide valuable insight into the diversity of predatory fish that inhabited the prehistoric ecosystem. Like its modern counterpart, Amia pattersoni was likely an opportunistic predator, feeding on smaller fish and invertebrates.

About Fossil Lake

50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, 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.
FOR SALE
$22,500
DETAILS
SPECIES
Amia pattersoni
LOCATION
Fossil Lake Safari Quarry, Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation
SIZE
Fish: 36" long, Shale: 42 x 17.5”
CATEGORY
ITEM
#314553
GUARANTEE
We guarantee the authenticity of all of our specimens.