Type - Knightia Fish
Period - Eocene
37 to 53 million years ago
Location - Wyoming, North America
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The Green River Formation, located in southwestern Wyoming, is made up of ancient lake beds that once formed a lush, subtropical environment. These calm, mineral-rich waters were the perfect conditions for fossilization.
 
When fish died, they sank to the bottom of the lake where oxygen levels were low and sediment quickly covered their bodies, helping preserve even the most delicate features like scales, fins and bones!
 
Unlike many fossil sites where you’re lucky to find a single bone or partial imprint, here you regularly find complete fossils that look as if the fish died only yesterday.
 
The most commonly found species in this formation is Knightia, a small herring-like fish that lived in large schools. These fish were a crucial part of the food pyramid, serving as prey for larger fish, birds and reptiles.
 
Knightia fossils are often found in slabs containing multiple individuals and sometimes in what appear to be dramatic death scenes, evidence of sudden die-offs, perhaps from algal blooms or volcanic activity.
 
Learn more about fish fossils from the Green River Formation here - The Green River Formation, Wyoming: A Hotbed Of Fossilised Fish