FINE FOSSIL FISH ASPIRATION. ...

Description

FINE FOSSIL FISH ASPIRATION
Knightia eocaena, Priscacara serrata
Eocene
Green River Formation, Lincoln Co., Wyoming, USA
The term "aspiration" refers to the occurrence of a fossil creature caught in the act of eating another one. Usually the smaller creature has choked the larger one to death, uniting them together in stone for all eternity. In this instance, one of the abundant Knightia of the Fossil Lake was attempting to dine on a smaller version of its own species, but found out that it had bitten off more than it could chew, with fatal results for all concerned. Preserved in excellent detail, the larger fish measures 3⅞ inches long, with the smaller one protruding 1¼ inches from its mouth. This would be special enough, but in the same matrix there is also a sensational specimen of the perch-like Priscacara, one of the most characterful and most-loved denizens of the sub-tropical lake system. It is preserved in tremendous detail, with superb three-dimensionality to the bony skull, vertebrae, and distinctive, spiny fins, 7¼ inches long. Both fossils are a fine soft brown color on a creamy limestone matrix, 12 x 14½ inches.

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