Two Knightia Alta Fossils On Large Plate - Wyoming

This is a pair of large, and well preserved Knightia alta fossil fish from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. Knightia alta is the more uncommon of the two types of Knightia found in the formation and has a much more robust appearance. The larger specimen is 4.8" and the smaller one is 4.4", location on an iregularly shaped 19x13.5" slab of matrix. It includes a display stand.

About Knightia

Knightia is an extinct genus of small, schooling, ray-finned fish related to modern herrings and sardines. Abundant in the warm freshwater lakes of the Eocene Green River Formation, they fed on insects, plankton, and tiny fish, while serving as prey for nearly every larger predator in the ecosystem. The most common species, Knightia eocena, reached about 15 cm in length and is celebrated today as the state fossil of Wyoming.

These streamlined fish are recognized by their heavy scales, small conical teeth, and rows of dorsal and ventral scutes along the body. Their fossils are among the most iconic from the Green River Formation—an exceptional 48-million-year-old lake deposit in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah known for preserving a remarkably detailed snapshot of ancient life in a warm, lake-rich Eocene landscape.

SPECIES

Knightia alta

AGE

Eocene (~51 million years)