Rare Six Rhadinichthys Paleozoic Fish Fossils Mass Mortality
"Fine Soft Tissure Preservation"

Description: There are three specimens are on each side of the plate. This plate is from the rarer brown layer, which imbues the specimens with a more dramatic contrast. Note the wonderful soft tissue preservation of scales and fins in the close-up photo. The fish are contorted, on their sides, with the ventral side of the heads showing. The fish are small and slender, with spindle shaped bodies, with an elongate head and blunt snout. Scales are square to rectangular and arranged in diagonal rows. (see Baensch’s classic treatise on fossil fish, FOSSIL FISH ATLAS, page 263 for more details. These Carboniferous (Mississippian age) palaeoniscid fish are from the Albert Shales of New Brunswick. They come from old coal mining operations that are now shut down. The fish come from fresh water deposits and occur in shales near the coal seams. They have been meticulously prepped with an air abrasive unit using soft grit and very low pressure. This ensures the preservation of intricate details of the scales and other body structures.