Fossil Fish head

[LiamL]

I bought this interesting fossil online. It's meant to be a three dimensional fossil fish head. Preserved with mouth wide open.

It was collected from the london clay of the isle of sheppey, kent, uk.

 

Is this actually a fish head or just looks like one? If so would it be possible to come up with an ID?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I don't think that's a fish head with the mouth open. 

There seems to be some organic matter, possibly bone, so maybe fish, but a lot of this looks covered in pyrite. 

[Pemphix]

Difficult to tell from the partial blurry and not enlargeable fotos. Better fotos would be needed.

But such kind of fish heads are known from the localities, see here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284546711_The_English_Chalk_and_London_Clay_two_remarkable_British_bony_fish_Lagerstatten

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fossil_species_in_the_London_Clay

Pictures on google, keywords: "fishes london clay"

 

[Fossildude19]

I'm unsure about this, as I am unfamiliar with the type of preservation. 

I want to say probably a fish skull. Very distorted, and partially disarticulated.

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

[LiamL]

8 minutes ago, Pemphix said:

Difficult to tell from the partial blurry and not enlargeable fotos. Better fotos would be needed.

But such kind of fish heads are known from the localities, see here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284546711_The_English_Chalk_and_London_Clay_two_remarkable_British_bony_fish_Lagerstatten

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fossil_species_in_the_London_Clay

Pictures on google, keywords: "fishes london clay"

 

[GeschWhat]

It does look like fish skull parts in there, but I'm only familiar with what comes out of the other end of Sheppey fish 

[Pemphix]

Theres definitely fishy bone in the piece.

Problem is, that the pyrite is all over. So you cannot tell if it is nearly articulated material or just an assemblage of fish bones.

So for the moment i am leaning toward the diagnosis of Fossildude19.

 

[Auspex]

Coprolite, me thinks.

[indominus rex]

The mouth looks like a open mouth of a fish.

[LiamL]

Any other thoughts?

[DevonianDigger]

Whatever it is, it sure does look like a fish head. It's a very cool find to be sure! I'm eager to hear what the experts think about this one!

[Bobby Rico]

I can’t say if it is or is not a fish head but I think I  know the seller and they are pretty good with IDs.

 

sorry not much help.

 

[Darko]

It looks like a fish head to me!

[LiamL]

Message from the seller. I think it's a fish for sure. 

 

 

Hi, I would describe myself as knowledgeable on fish from Sheppey; I’ve built up a collection of over 200 museum quality fish fossils from Sheppey. This is the context from which I can categorically say the specimen is a fossil fish head. However the cranium is too heavily pyritized to aid identification, the head does have its mouth open and the glassy sheen is actual bone, the fossil is not distorted. It would possibly have once been a phosphatic nodule and the clay would have supported the fossilisation process

[DevonianDigger]

Super cool piece.

[Jazfossilator]

I really like that! Has a lot of character