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| KNIGHTIA | ||
| The most common and widespread genus found in the Green River formation. Size ranges from 5" to more than 10" with the average being 5" - 7". Sometimes found in mass mortality layers. Call or write the Fossil Gallery for more infomation on a specimen shown, framing options or other specimens and sizes available. | ||
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APPROXIMATE SPECIMEN SIZE: 4" to 7" |
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PRICE (UNFRAMED): $45 – $85 (US) |
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| The most common and widespread fish genus found within the deposits of Fossil Syncline Lake is the Knightia, a herring-like fish. Knightia rarely exceed ten inches in length and are found throughout the formation. This slender fish, which lived sixty million years ago, seems to have been a secondary consumer, feeding mainly on ostracods, algal forms and diatoms, as well as some small fish. The tendency for individual fishes to cluster in groups was probably quite common. Modern forms are noted for schooling, and it is highly probable that the ancient types associated similarly. At the base of the eighteen-inch unit specimens of Knightia are found in mass numbers. Millions of these fish, overlapping and randomly arranged, are found throughout the center portions of the lake at a density of about five per every square foot. Suppositions concerning the mass kill range from stratified water turnover to toxic substances produced by forms of algae. | ||
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Ulrich's Fossil Gallery |
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