Beautiful Saw Shark

View of head and rostrum

Close up of the small teeth lining the rostrum

View of the head and gills

Tail displaying the verebrae

Highly decorative and appreciating fossil

Sclerorhyncus 1

Product description

The fish is a Sclerorhyncus atavus Saw Fish Shark, discovered in the Cenomanian Strata, Sannine Limestone, Hajoula, Lebanon.

It dates from the Upper Cretaceous Period, 99m to 93m years old.

Typical of Sclerorhyncus are the abundant small teeth on the rostrum, which they used to slash and disable their prey.

Sclerorhyncus, Pristiophori, are an order of saw sharks, and should not be confused with Sawfish, of the order Pristidae.

It is rare to find such a large, complete fish, but this is perfect from its saw tip to the end of its tail fin.

This is a much rarer fish than the more common Prislis.
Soft tissue preservation is unusual, but can be seen in this specimen, and the vertebrae are clearly visible and articulated.

Their relatives exist today and may be found in South Africa, the Carribean, and Australia.

In life the environment of this creature was a warm shallow sea. The deposits where these fossils are found are only a few hundred meters across and are indicative of slow deposition during a stagnant stage. The fossils are found at depths of up to 800metres.

The current unrest in the area makes it more difficult to obtain such fossils from this locality.

This is an exceptional piece, and an incredibly decorative item for the home or office.

Certainly an appreciating asset for the future.

Size:   plate 1.53 metres long.