4.6" Fossil Needle Fish (Dercetis) - Hakel, Lebanon

Fossil Needle Fish (Dercetis) - Hakel, Lebanon #200714

This is a predatory needle fish (Dercetis sp.) from Hakel, Lebanon. The fossil is in excellent condition with no visible restoration and superb preservation. If outstretched, this fish may be just about 7" long. Two smaller, unidentified fish accompany the needle fish on the limestone. There is a repaired crack running through the limestone and portions of the fossil that were professionally stabilized.

Comes with an acrylic and metal display stand.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hjoula, Lebanon dates back many centuries. In fact, they were first mentioned in writing by Herodotus, over 450 years before the birth of Christ. The first scientific work on these localities began in the 1800s: these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families.

These deposits represent a warm, shallow sea of the Middle Cretaceous, and have yielded over 70 types of fish and numerous other genera found nowhere else in the world. The preservation on many of these specimens is truly amazing: many examples of soft bodied preservation have been found.

A photo of one of the quarries at Hjoula, Lebanon