North America, Wyoming, Green River Formation, Eocene Period, ca. 53.5 to 48.5 million years ago. This amazing sandstone matrix contains a fossilized stingray (Heliobatis radians) and 3 fish (Diplomystus dentatus) that died in a very aesthetical manner atop a palm frond, creating a rare view into a prehistoric environment that looks like it was taken from an aquarium! The fish and stingray are slightly recessed in the matrix and carefully excavated to preserve the bones and tissue. The inner skeleton of stingrays are cartilage and decay more rapidly than bone, and rarely are preserved as well as we see here- we can even sex the ray as female! The Diplo fish are also pristine, and not only are the bones present, but remains of soft tissue is preserved. Diplomystus fish, often shortened to "Diplo" was a predatory genus with an upturned mouth, typical of surface feeders that ate insects and smaller fish. The stone is meticulously prepared with a wood panel backing and comes with modern mounting hardware. Size: 31" L x 1.5" W x 31.25" H (78.7 cm x 3.8 cm x 79.4 cm)
The sediment from the Green River Formation was deposited over a 5-million-year span, the layers of flora and fauna may not have fossilized at the same time - but make for interesting composites. The Eocene world was the warmest of the Cenozoic (our current era), with an average mean temperature around 86 F (30 C) (for comparison, the average mean temperature in the last seventy years is around 58 F (14 C). Although the map of the Earth's surface would have been very recognizable to us today, with most of the continents in place and India moving close to its current position, there were basically no ice caps and huge swaths of the landscape were covered with water, including vast inland seas.
Provenance: private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#170381
Condition
Professionally excavated and prepared. Some surface abrasions and areas of uneven surface due to natural layers, but intact and excellent preservation to fossils. Mounted with wood back panel for support with a metal bracket for mounting on a wall. Please note the size of this piece and requires a strong wall for mounting.