Cretaceous Rhynchodercetis Fish Fossil

Description: A rarely seen member of the Order Aulopiformes, Family Dercetidae, it is a member of the bony fishes known as a “needle fish” due to its body shape. The upper and lower jaws have been extended into a rostrum; these fish were predators of smaller fish. At 160 mm in length, this is an adult example, one with preservation of fine detail. The genus went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, passing the way of the dinosaurs. This one is similar to those seen from Lebanon, but comes from a new location in Morocco, one of the first examples I have ever seen.