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37" Museum Quality Paddlefish Fossil (Crossopholis) - Wyoming
This is an extremely rare museum quality paddlefish (Crossopholis magnicandatus) fossil collected from the Clear Creek Quarry in Wyoming. It measures 37" long and is beautifully centered on a 49 x 27.8" slab of shale.
High-end fossil fish collectors shouldn't miss out on this phenomenal specimen. You may not see a better example of this rare genus from the Green River Formation.
The paddlefish has been inlaid into the rock, surrounded by over 35 complete Knightia eocaena fish (all roughly 2" long). This Knightia-covered shale comes from the "mini fish" layer. The shale has been backed with wood for stability and includes a french cleat hanger for horizontal presentation. It will be shipped in a wooden crate on a pallet.
50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, Fossil Lake 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.
High-end fossil fish collectors shouldn't miss out on this phenomenal specimen. You may not see a better example of this rare genus from the Green River Formation.
The paddlefish has been inlaid into the rock, surrounded by over 35 complete Knightia eocaena fish (all roughly 2" long). This Knightia-covered shale comes from the "mini fish" layer. The shale has been backed with wood for stability and includes a french cleat hanger for horizontal presentation. It will be shipped in a wooden crate on a pallet.
Note: Because of its size and weight, this piece will ship via freight on a pallet or in a crate. Our website can’t automatically calculate freight charges, so shipping costs will be determined and billed after purchase. If you’d like a quote beforehand, please contact us prior to ordering.
Crossopholis was a predator paddlefish that likely consumed small schooling fish such as Knightia eocaena according to fossil evidence. It may not have lived in Fossil Lake itself, but rather the rivers surrounding the lake, given the scarcity of its fossils and complete lack of juvenile fossil remains.
50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, Fossil Lake 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.
SPECIES
Crossopholis magnicandatus & Knightia eocaena
LOCATION
Clear Creek Quarry, Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation
SIZE
Paddlefish: 37" long, Rock: 49 x 27.8" rock
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#254199
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