Large Mississippian Bear Gulch Fossil Crustacean Belotelson

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 specimen is a member of an extinct lobster-like order that flourished during the Carboniferous in North America and Europe known as Belotelson. The same species is found in the roughly contemporary Mazon Creek deposits of Illinois (see my other offerings), but those are typically smaller. Note the original shell preserved in this specimen.