Rare Huge 8.4" Fossil Fish Eohiodon Hiodon Green River Formation Wyoming COA1562

Description

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this order.
For the collector interested in acquiring the finest in very rare and distinctive Green River Formation fossil fish...
This is a beautiful example of the fossil fish Hiodon (Eohiodon), from the world-famous fossil beds of Fossil Lake, Green River Formation, Wyoming. From the Eocene, about 52 million years ago.
The Hiodon Falcatus (Eohiodon), also known as Mooneye, is from the world-famous fossil beds of Fossil Lake, Green River Formation, Wyoming.
It has pretty much everything one could ask for in a Mooneye: the traditional Mooneye shape, strong tail, superb sharp teeth, strong fins in the Hiodon shape, and rays, ribs, scales, etc.  It has superb toothed parasphenoids (sharp serrations on the underside of that little bone that runs across the eye (photo 4). They are wonderful.
The Hiodon was a voracious predator, so certainly one would probably want a specimen showing those deadly teeth. This specimen shows them clearly, in high-definition (photo 4).
In addition, this Hiodon is an impressive 8.4" (213.4 mm.) from the tip of its head to the tip of the upper caudal fin.  It is known only to ever get to 250 mm., so this is quite large.
Look at the bone running horizontally just below the eye socket. It is called the parasphenoid. Extending downward from the parasphenoid are what appear to be really big, sharp teeth. However, they are not. They are serrations, and I do not know the reason for them. A few fish from Fossil Fish like Priscacara Serrata have these serrations.  They look like teeth but they are not.
The Hiodon is also referred to as Eohiodon.  There are 5 species of Hiodon in total on the Earth, of which only 2 survive today. They are referred to as “Mooneye” sometimes because of the silver-gold shiny glint in the eye of a living one.
The color is excellent.  The fin shapes are superb. How rare is the Hiodon?  The first one (Eohiodon) was not discovered until 1979.  In his masterful book, The Lost World of Fossil Lake, Dr. Lance Grande writes that only about 300+ Hiodon fossils have been found (p. 176).  If we estimate 2 million fish found, that would be 0.00015 of all the fish.
The plate this was found on was expertly restored where it was found, with some breaks, as is common.  This was done superbly, as you can see in the photos. The plate is about 13.5" by about 8.2", and it weighs 5 lbs. 3.1 oz.  The entire plate has been reinforced with a Hardybacker backing on the reverse side.
This is worthy of any museum, hotel lobby, collection, etc.!
We are happy to enclose a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) upon request.  Some words of warning about COA’s: Do not let them become a substitute for learning about the fossils. We have been working with fossils for many years, and we have seen hundreds of very nice-looking COA’s, some that are flat-out wrong, mis-describing a specimen. In addition, the person selling the item is usually the one who writes the COA (potential conflict of interest). Finally, a COA without a photo of the exact item described, tied to the COA, is worthless, as it can later be placed next to any fish fossil.
We suggest that instead of relying on a COA, that people read and study the subject. Two top-quality books, both written by Lance Grande of the University of Chicago, are masterful sources of information on Green River Formation fossils. One is Paleontology of the Green River Formation, 1984. The other, The Lost World of Fossil Lake, written in 2013, is less detailed but loaded with excellent photos.  Learn and study about what you are buying, and soon you will find you will be able to easily identify the fish yourself.
COMBINED SHIPPING: We will do our best to combine purchases to save shipping costs. In some cases, that is easy, in some cases not so much. If you buy multiple pieces, and pay for them, we will combine if we can, and refund the shipping difference into your Pay pal account.
We will ship this only to the United States.  We are not responsible if the buyer reships it somewhere else, after receiving it from us. Our responsibility ends at the destination we ship it to.
Return Policy:   If you are not satisfied with your item, please contact us within 72 hours of receiving the item.  We'll refund your purchase price, minus shipping charges, upon safe return of the item in original condition within 30 days of buyer’s receipt of item. Failure to contact us within 72 hours of receipt of item, voids this offer. Buyer is responsible for all return shipping charges.   Item must arrive to us in same condition as buyer received it (check photos in original description), or a restocking fee may be charged.
Damage:   If your item arrives damaged, please contact us within 24 hours of receiving as we will be happy to resolve any issue.  Buyer must contact us within 24 hours of receipt of item to claim damage in shipping.
1562.TSD#OGGFXESXIGY    E148