.8" Fossil Flying Fish (Exocoetoides) with Brittle Stars - Lebanon

Fossil Flying Fish (Exocoetoides) with Brittle Stars - Lebanon #200785

This is a beautifully preserved, .8" long fossil flying fish (Exocoetoides sp.) that's naturally associated with two brittle star fossils (1.3" and 1.15") likely of the genus Geocoma and a well-preserved, unidentified fish (1.3"). This specimen was collected from the Upper Cretaceous marine deposits near Hakel, Lebanon.

The brittlestars are pretty faint so you will have to look closely at the photos. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hakel, 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 and these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families that has worked the quarries for generations.

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

A photo of the quarry at Hakel, Lebanon