Large Silicon Mineral Specimen

Fragmentary section of a jaw, set with six teeth. 209 grams, 18 cm



From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection.

The Mosasaur is an extinct, large marine reptile with an elongated body, long snout and paddle-like limbs. Found worldwide, they competed with other well-known sea predators of the Late Cretaceous, such as plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, for food, existing primarily on a diet of ammonoids, cuttlefish and fish.

Rectangular matrix with a good-sized Diplomystus specimen; some restoration. 336 grams, 18.3 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.

Translucent orange amber with a midge insect inclusion. 2.85 grams, 34 mm



Acquired on the UK art market. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.