Fossil "Rhacolepis buccalis"

Cretaceous, Santana, Brazil, South America

Rhacolepis buccalis is an extinct species of fish belonging to the fan-fin (Actinopterygii) bony fish (Osteichthyes) that lived in the Cretaceous period, about 150-109 million years ago. Fossils of the Rhacolepis species have played a particularly significant role in recent evolutionary research. With the help of modern 3D technology, in 2016 a group of paleontologists managed to find a whole heart of a Rhacolepis species of fish that had lived more than 113 million years ago and, on top of that, was buried inside petrified soil. This was the first time that a fully fossilized heart could be located from a prehistoric animal.

The museum-level, small-sized fossil is amazingly well preserved. The precise details of the ancient fish make it a unique piece. The gills, fins, ventral and flank scales, even the eye sockets stand out clearly on this magnificent fossil. In good condition. Age-appropriate wear, cracks and small defects. The size of the sediment is about 16.0cm x 5.3cm (of which the fish itself is 13.0cm x 2.7cm). Weight approx. 372g.