Mazon Help - Number one: Fish

[Jones1rocks]

A Mazon fish, possibly Elonichthys peltigerus, or Elonichthys Hypsilepus??

[Tidgy's Dad]

That is a beautiful fish! 

No idea of the species, sorry. 

[Fossildude19]

Awesome fossil! 

 

[fossilized6s]

Looks like a Elonichthys peltigerus that may be associated with a worm. Absolutely killer fossil!

[FossilDAWG]

Color me .  Fantastic fossil! 

Don

[Jones1rocks]

25 minutes ago, fossilized6s said:

Looks like a Elonichthys peltigerus that may be associated with a worm. Absolutely killer fossil!

 

 

I was wondering about that!  I was wondering if the fish was in the process of eating the worm when buried.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yeah, choked on the fish maybe?

Greedy fishy, serves it right! 

[KimTexan]

Very cool. Maybe @Nimravis has some thoughts on it.

[RCFossils]

Beautiful fish!

I agree that it appears to be E. peltigeras.

If that is a worm preserved, it would be incredibly rare.

I am aware of only one other fish fossil preserving a fish aspirating on its last meal.

Having said that, I do not see any defining detail that would indicating that it is a worm.

[Nimravis]

Great fish- love the fins and Eye. As @RCFossils stated that would be rare if was a worm in his mouth. I have a few concretions with multiple species preserved, but nothing eating / choking on one.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Fossils of fish choking on their last meal are quite interesting and there are quite a few on the net. 

But none that choked on a worm that I can find. 

Bit this is very interesting, though a little off topic.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/03/08/jurassic-fail-fish-accidentally-snags-pterosaur-and-both-die/#.Wjsnb1Vl_IU

[Miocene_Mason]

Other than the little sharks, I have never seen a mazon fish before, much less one that’s possibly choking on a worm! Very nice!

[Jones1rocks]

3 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Fossils of fish choking on their last meal are quite interesting and there are quite a few on the net. 

But none that choked on a worm that I can find. 

Bit this is very interesting, though a little off topic.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/03/08/jurassic-fail-fish-accidentally-snags-pterosaur-and-both-die/#.Wjsnb1Vl_IU

 

The article was very interesting.  In the fossil in my possession, if it is indeed a worm attached to the fish, could it simply be that the fish was killed coincidentally and DURING the act of eating, not from choking, but from rapid burial due to an event?  By 'event', I'm referring to the hypothesis that the rapid burial was due to a catastrophic environmental occurrence, like a powerfully moving flood, where the fauna had virtually no time or ability to react.

[Tidgy's Dad]

If it is a worm, and i"m not sure, it would seem to be coincidental. 

Just pure chance i would guess.