Harpoceras Fossil Ammonite on Stand

Triangular section of a fossilised coral head showing the side and top view of the polyps. 160 grams, 85 mm



From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.

Oval matrix with two Knightia alta specimens with a partial fossil on the reverse. 377 grams, 19.3 cm



From Green River formation, Wyoming, USA. From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.

In southwest Wyoming (and parts of Colorado and Utah), in the Green River Formation, are found some of the world's most outstanding specimens of fossil fish. The Green River system was composed of three lakes: Lake Uinta, Lake Gosiute and Fossil Lake. These Eocene lakes lay in a series of intermountain basins formed by geological events that uplifted the Rocky Mountains during the early Tertiary period. The climate was much different from the desert-like climate of this area today. Both the fauna (crocodiles, alligators, boa constrictors and some subtropical fish families) and the flora (such as large palm trees) indicate a climate much like that found along the Gulf Coast today. Large amounts of ash found in the sediments indicate that volcanoes were particularly active at this time.

An extinct genus of diapsid reptiles, Claudiosaurus germanini, beautifully preserved and featuring a full ribcage, limbs, the majority of the tail and neck vertebrae. 7.75 kg, 40 cm



From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.

In life, the Claudiosaurus's splayed feet would have been webbed. It had a relatively long body and neck, reaching an overall length of about 60 centimetres. It is presumed to have been partially oceanic, living in a similar way to the modern marine iguana.