Affordable Caridosuctor Paleozoic Coelacanth from Bear Gulch

Description: 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 coelacanth known as Caridoscuctor (“shrimp eater”), and is well-represented in the Bear Gulch deposits. Specimens found range from 30 mm to 250 mm. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, with larger, more robust females and smaller, more gracile males, a condition found in the modern coelacanth Latimeria. The species died out in the Lower Carboniferous. This example has been preserved in an unusual aspect. While the posterior portion is essentially laterally preserved, the anterior half appears to have undergone some torsion. Notice the ventrals are somewhat displaced centrally and some of the skull bones from the left side are visible as well, making for a most unusual specimen.

Also see: Paleozoic Fish Fossils Bear Gulch Fossils Bear Gulch Fossil Fish Species