Three Large Overlapping Viper Fish (Eurypholis) - Lebanon

This is a spectacular specimen from the Upper Cretaceous aged, marine lagerstätte near Hakel, Lebanon. There is a trio, of large Eurypholis boissieri overlapping each other. Eurypholis is an uncommon predatory fish in these deposits and is commonly known as a viperfish. Outstanding dark orange colored preservation which contrasts nicely with the creme colored colored limestone. There is one repaired crack in the middle of the plate and there is some minor restoration on the fish, mainly touchups to the tail fins.

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: 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 the quarry at Hakel, Lebanon