Knightia Humilis Fish Replica

$22.00

Knightia eocaena is the most common fish in Fossil Lake and maybe the most commonly articulated vertebrate fossil in the world.

Description

Knightia Humilis Fish Replica measures 6.5×4 inches. Knightia Humilis Fish Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. Knightia eocaena is the scientific name. Eocene fish of the Green River Formation, Wyoming.

Knightia Humilis or Knightia eocaena is an extinct genus of clupeid bony fish that lived in the freshwater lakes and rivers of North America and Asia during the Eocene epoch. The genus was erected by David Starr Jordan in 1907, in honor of the late University of Wyoming professor Wilbur Clinton Knight, an indefatigable student of the paleontology of the Rocky Mountains.

Knightia Humilis, Green River Fish or Knightia eocaena is the official state fossil of Wyoming, and the most commonly excavated fossil fish in the world.

In Knightia Humilis, rows of dorsal and ventral scutes run from the back of the head to the medial fins. They had heavy scales and small conical teeth.

Knightia eocaena fish made an abundant food source for larger Eocene predators. The Green River Formation has yielded many fossils of larger fish species preying on them; specimens of Diplomystus, Lepisosteus, Amphiplaga, Mioplosus, Phareodus, Amia, and Astephus have all been found with them in either their jaws or stomachs.

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, including crocodiles, boa constrictors, and birds, as well as abundant invertebrates and plants.

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.

The sedimentary layers were formed in a large area named for the Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River.

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Additional information

Weight 2 lbs
Dimensions 6 × 4 in
Knightia Humilis Fish Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Clupeiformes
Family: Clupeidae
Subfamily: Pellonulinae
Genus: Knightia
Type species: Knightia eocaena
Conservation Status: Extinct