Fossil Fish Split Pair in Limestone Matrix SOLD

Genus: Knightia, Species: alta

Formation: Green River Formation, Thompson Quarry, Lincoln County, Wyoming

Age: Eocene Epoch, Cenozoic Period, 50 million years ago

Matrix Size: 6” by 5”, Fish Length: 4”, Weight: 2 lb

This is an extinct fresh-water ancestor of the modern herring. Occasionally, when splitting the rock, one gets lucky and splits the rock exactly on the sedimentary layer containing the fish as in this case. The two fish you see here is actually the whole fish on one piece and the impression of the fish on the other layer. The fish has been sealed with a clear preservative but its color has not been enhanced. A small stone is cemented to the back to make the pieces free-standing.

If you wish to see the fossil fish bearing layers of strata in their native environment, check out Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming. Or, if you want to go and dig your own fossil fish, check out Fossil Safari, Kemmerer, Wyoming. I dug fish at this quarry for 12 years, had great success and hope to go back there soon.