50 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, this hard limestone rock was the soft muddy bottom of a lake. As time passed, the lake bottom collected decaying fish, insects, logs, leaves, etc. Over millions of years, hundreds of feet of mud and silt accumulated, creating the perfect environmentfor the creation of fossils.

These fossils were found in Wyoming in what is commonly known as “Fossil Lake.” During it’s time period, there were mammals such as lemurs, bats and saber-toothed cats. One could also find song birds, flamingos, turtles, lizards, crocodiles, and insects. There were no dinosaurs as they had been extinct for approximately 15 million years.

When the lake existed it was located in a sub-tropical zone near the equator, and would have resembled an area similar to southern Florida. The earth’s continental drift and plate tectonics worked to move the fossil lake northward and elevate it to its current location, about 7000 feet above sea level. The shale has been exposed to the surface by erosion. The limestone shales of The Green River Formation (where your fossil was recovered) have been scientifically and commercially quarried for over 100 years. They are internationally renowned for their exquisite fossils, and specimens from the area are displayed in museums and private collections throughout the world. Each fossil is extraordinarily unique. It literally represents a moment in the history of evolution.