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RARE DAPEDIUM FISH (MOON FISH) ON ROCK SLAB - Holzmaden, Germany JURASSIC PERIOD: 200 million years ago From the world-renown Black Jurassic oil-bearing shale of Holzmaden, Germany comes THE finest Dapedium pholidotum fish fossil we have ever seen in any publication or museum exhibit. Even in the 1996 hardcover publication on fossil fishes put out by the American Museum of Natural History, the Dapedium featured is no where near the quality of this premium example. Dapedium fossils are extremely rare and hard to come by. Of the limited prepared specimens that have been shown, many feature serious degradation of the fish as it became fossilized or show excessive disarticulated remains preserved in the rock. Amazingly, this specimen exhibits details that almost appear as if the fish is still alive. Regions of the scale detail are as if taken from a still living fish as shown in the close up image above. The pectoral fin is complete and beautifully detailed as shown! The head is complete and intact with a complete operculum (gill cover) impression. Most noteworthy is the full array of superbly preserved and intact teeth including an apparent partial extension of the maxillary which was a unique feature to these fish. This specimen's detail can be attributed to the meticulous MANUAL HAND PREPARATION in the manner that museum fossils were prepared a hundred years ago. The original shale slab that this fossil has been discovered on is INTACT with no breaks or saw cuts! The rock is over on inch thick and polished smooth on the sides and back but left natural on the front. Since no air abrasives or blasters were used, the entire surface of the surrounding shale is in a beautiful and very natural state - aesthetic beyond measure! The Dapedium was a primitive neopterygian ( "new fins" ) species of fish that inhabited the Jurassic seas two hundred million years ago. The neopterygians are considered more advanced than other ray-finned fish. Some key features that set them apart from chondrosteans or reedfish include improved mobility due to modifications of the skeleton and additional moveable mouth parts to enhance feeding capability. Dapedium had a rather deep body with pelvic fins located at the lowest point of the perimeter. Its dorsal and anal fins were set back and low. The tail was short and stout, no doubt a powerful force that allowed a rapid and sudden change in direction while the fish was in motion. The upper jaw of a Dapedium was moveable and could protrude out from the mouth. Some of the largest dinosaurs that ever walked the earth were in existence when Dapedium lived in the ancient seas alongside massive plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs! This remarkable prehistoric fish fossil comes with our absolute highest recommendation and deserves prime real estate in any of the finest fossil collections around the world. ULTRA-RARE FISH THAT EXCEEDS MOST OF THE VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF THESE IN MUSEUMS! 11.7" in length x 7.9" high overall with fish 9" long SOLD FG001 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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