Double Priscacara Fish Fossil With Twig

This is a beautiful piece from the Green River Formation of Wyoming with two highly detailed Priscacara fossil fish as well as an associated fossil twig. It was quarried from the "18 inch layer" at Warfield's Quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming. This thin layer produces much darker colored and more detailed fish fossils, though they take significantly more preparation time.

The total dimensions of this piece is 14x6.5 inches and it is very displayable on the included stand. There is a repaired crack in the matrix, but it's only visible from the back side. We can back the specimen wood for stabilization and allow it to be easily hung on a wall at the buyers request for no charge.

Cockerellites liops is a species of extinct temperate bass found in the Eocene aged Green River Formation of Wyoming. It is characterized by a sunfish-like body and its stout dorsal and anal spines. It was originally placed in the Priscacara genus but was moved to the newly created genus Cockerellites by D. Jordan and H. Hanibal in 1923. There is still some debate among researchers about whether this new genus is valid.

Cockerellites is found in large numbers in mid-lake deposits, representing 5 to 20 percent of the fish unearthed, depending on the layer. It is considerably rarer in shoreline deposits, representing only 1 to 2 percent of the fish found. Because of this, Cockerellites is thought to have been a schooling fish. Fossils have been found at a maximum size of about six inches, but they rarely exceed five inches in length.

At first glance, Cockerellites liops has a very similar appearance to the rarer species Priscacara. Size can often be used as a differentiator, since Cockerellites did not exceed 6 inches while Priscacara serrata is typically found in excess of 6 inches. Cockerellites also has more dorsal and anal fin rays than Priscacara and a much smaller mouth.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Cockerellites liops
LOCATION
Warfield's Quarry, Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation
SIZE
Large fish 5.2", Matrix 14x6.5"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#8572
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