Fossil Gift Box

Fossil Gift Box

Looking for a gift for a budding paleontologist the our fossil gift boxes are the ideal way to start a fossil collection.  This box contains the following:

• 1 Fish Fossil from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, USA

• 1 Trilobite Fossil from Morocco

• 1 Small Shark Tooth on Matrix

 
Fish Fossil
During the Eocene, based on the fossil record, the region was sub-tropical to temperate. Some 60 vertebrate taxa have been described from the formation, as well as abundant invertebrates and plants. Green river has been noted for its well-preserved fish since mid-way through the 19th century. The unusually excellent preservation of the Green River fish fossils is usually attributed to a combination of two factors: 1) a cold period during the Eocene that would have caused dead fish to sink faster due to a less inflated swim bladder; and 2) the great depth of the lakes and the consequent anoxic conditions that would have often prevented scavengers from disturbing the carcasses.
 
Trilobite
Trilobite, any member of a group of extinct fossil arthropods easily recognized by their distinctive three-lobed, three-segmented form. Trilobites, exclusively marine animals, first appeared at the beginning of the Cambrian Period, about 542 million years ago, when they dominated the seas. Although they became less abundant in succeeding geologic periods, a few forms persisted into the Permian Period, which ended about 251 million years ago.

Shark Tooth
Otodus is an extinct genus of mackerel shark which lived from the Paleocene to the Miocene epoch.  These teeth are between 55 and 45 million years old and are from Morocco.  This shark is known from its fossilized teeth and vertebral centra. Like other elasmobranchs, the skeleton of Otodus was composed of cartilage and not bone, resulting in relatively few preserved skeletal structures appearing within the fossil record. The teeth of this shark are large with triangular crown, smooth cutting edges, and visible cusps on the roots. Some Otodus teeth also show signs of evolving serrations.

Please note the images are representative of what you will receive.  We will select the bet possible pieces to include in your your box.