**This item is heavy/oversized and will require 3rd party shipping. Please inquire about shipping cost prior to bidding.**
North America, Wyoming, Green River Formation, Eocene Period, ca. 53.5 to 48.5 million years ago. An amazing sandstone matrix of a prehistoric palm leaf , fossilized and then inlaid with a freshwater stingray (Heliobatis) and fish (Mioplosus and Phareodus). The large Mioplosus body is fully extended, the bones in hues of umber brown and softer tissue leaving a lighter orange coloration behind. Mioplosus is related to modern day perch, a solitary predator with sharp teeth for catching smaller fish, which are visible in the slightly parted mouth. Phareodus had a similar modus operandi and sharp teeth that indicate carnivorous behavior. The stone is meticulously prepared, and the stone has been backed with a wood panel for durability and mounting on a wall hanging if desired! Size: 27" L x 2" W x 19" H (68.6 cm x 5.1 cm x 48.3 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. This impressive aquarium like arrangement creates a rare scene from a prehistoric environment that was drastically different than what the semi-arid Wyoming landscape of today!
Please note that this item is heavy/oversized. Please inquire about shipping prior to bidding.
Provenance: Private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection
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#181529
Condition
Professionally prepared with inlaid stingray and fish over the palm fossil. Wooden backing added to verso for mounting. Some stable fissures and striations to the fossils, but fish are excellent with great bone and soft tissue details.