LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 January Signature Natural History #5000  / 

48377

LARGE FOSSIL SAND FISH

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:2,900.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 3,800.00 USD
LARGE FOSSIL SAND FISH
<B>LARGE FOSSIL SAND FISH </B></I><BR> <I>Notogoneus osculus<BR>Eocene<BR>Green River Formation, Wyoming</B></I><BR>In immediately striking contrast at the centre of this large pale limestone slab, beautifully prepared and finely detailed, is the long dark form of the mysterious <I>Notogoneus osculus</B></I>. A native to the complex of freshwater lakes that 50 million years later are known as the famous Green River Formation in Wyoming, it is thought that this species was a nocturnal bottom feeder, dining on crustaceans in the rivers and tributaries that flowed into and from the lakes proper, perhaps only entering the larger bodies of water in certain seasons when the waters at the bottom were non-toxic. They had no teeth and few bones in the head, yet a few have been spectacularly preserved in the fossil record of the area. The present example is no exception, and at 24 inches long is amongst the very largest known of this species. Its aesthetic appeal is only enhanced by the generous expanse of pale stone matrix, mounted in a 49 x 37 inch dark hardwood frame ready for hanging.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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