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 fish fossil is amazingly well preserved. The gills, fins, ventral and flank scales, even the eye sockets stand out clearly on this magnificent fossil. In fairly good condition. Age-appropriate wear, cracks and small defects. The size of the sediment is about 14.0cm x 3.9cm (of which the fish itself is 14.0cm x 2.9cm). Weight approx. 156g.