Exquisite Atractosteus Gar Fish Fossil

Description: This is a fine example of a gar from the Eocene Green River Formation deposits of Wyoming, known as Atractosteus simplex. The genus persists until today, with the Alligator Gar from the southern United States a typical example whose morphology is quite similar to this fossil specimen, albeit with a more robust set of jaws. While examples from as small as 10 cm to nearly 70 cm are known, most fall between 20-30 cm in length. Notice the rhomboid armor-like scales. The modern Alligator Gar is reputed to be able to turn away small caliber bullets shot at them by hunters. These ~50 million year old deposits are famous for their exceptionally well-preserved organisms, a few of which have the remains of their last meal preserved gripped in their jaws. Soft tissue preservation is a common event in material from the formation, and that is seen here in preservation of much of the specimen, including the detailed scales. Despite well over a century of efforts only a few hundred complete examples are known. I secured this one on the very first day of the Tucson fossil show as they never last long.