Wendichthys Bear Gulch Paleozoic Fish Fossil

Superb Soft Tissue Preservation

Wendichthys dicksoni

Class Actinoptergyii, Order Paleonisciformes, Family Palaeoniscidae

Geological Time: Mississippian (~320 m.y.a.)

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): Fish fossil is 120 mm long; Matrix: 200 mm by 100mm

Fossil Site: Heath Shale Formation, Bear Gulch Limestone, Fergus County, Montana

Fossil Code: BGF593

Price: Sold


Wendichthys Bear Gulch Paleozoic Fish FossilDescription: The Bear Gulch Limestone is a deposit of some 70 square km in extent and 30 m in depth that has been a source of one of the most diverse assemblages of fossil fish with some 110 species having been described over the past 30 years. Most were new to science, and provided a unique view of the marine environment of Mississippian times. Fine preservation of both fish and invertebrates is a hallmark of these deposits, presumably due to an anoxic depositional environment. This is a very well-preserved example of a Paleoniscoid fish known as Wendichthys. The paleoniscoids were the first ray-finned fish, a feature readily seen here. Some 40 or more families appeared during the Carboniferous and Permian Periods. This superb example shows the rhombic scales and fin rays to good advantage.

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