Rare anguille fossile

Rare Fossil Eel from Bolca
Veronanguilla ruffoi, BLOT, 1978
Middle Eocene
Monte Bolca, near Verona, Italy
An extinct bony fish, belonging to the anguilliformes which lived in the middle Eocene (about 48 - 50 million years ago), their fossil remains have been found in Italy, in the famous Monte Bolca deposit. Veronanguilla ruffoi was first described by Blot in 1978, based on well-preserved fossil remains found in the well-known Pesciara di Bolca, in the province of Verona. Veronanguilla must have been an active predator feeding on smaller fish, crustaceans or other animals caught in the shallow waters of the tropical lagoons. An extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived from the early to middle Eocene, length 39 cm, would have thrived. The specimen is in an excellent state of preservation with the spine clearly visible. The matrix has been trimmed flat on one side, permitting it to stand on its own. Matrix measuring 46 x 23 x 7 cm
Footnotes:
Blot, J. 1978. Les Apodes fossiles du Monte Bolca. Studies and Research on the Tertiary Deposits of Bolca. Verona, 3, 1-260.

Provenance: Property of a German Collector