Large Caridosuctor Paleozoic Coelacanth Fish Fossil

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 is most likely a female whose best features are the skull and the tassellated caudal fin.

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