Fishes, Fossil; Paleontology -- Cretaceous; Brazil
This fossil fish comes from the Santana Formation of Brazil and is over 100 million years old. This geologic formation is well known for its beautifully preserved fossil fishes as well as fine specimens of plants insects, amphibians, reptiles,...
The large mouth of this Eurypholis, a prehistoric fish, indicates it may have been a predator, allowing it to swallow smaller prey. The Eurypholis is also known as a “Viper Fish." This fish is found in deposits dating to the middle...
Batfish can be found in the Indian and Pacific oceans around East Africa to the Philippines and Australia. These fish tend to inhabit lagoons when they are young and reefs as adults. Batfish have the habit of swimming on their sides. Perhaps this...
This is the upper and lower jaw of the guitarfish. It is common in the American Atlantic ocean from North Carolina to Yucatan, Mexico. The guitarfish is halfway between sharks and rays in body shape. Its body is long and rounded with well developed...
The walleye gets its name because of the particular coloring of its pearlescent eye, which is caused by a reflective layer of pigments. This allows the fish to feed at night or in murky water. They are a freshwater fish, and can be found in the...
The Smalltooth Sawfish, living in the shallow coastal waters in temperate and tropical waters, is the largest of the six species of sawfish, growing up to twenty five feet long. They live on the bottom, using their “saws” to probe the mud and...
Cracked in half by a geologist’s hammer, this nodule split to reveal ancient fish. Preserved in fine detail are anatomical elements such as fins and individual scales. This specimen is from the Triassic Period, dating back between 202 and 250...
