Indianna 9 Fossils - Prehistoric Fossils - Logo

Fish Fossils for Sale

Fish Fossils for Sale . The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion.

It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates.  The first fish lineages belong to the Agnatha, or jawless fish.

Fish have undergone a long period of evolution that is well represented in the fossil record.   Today they represent the most diverse group of vertebrates on the planet.

Prehistoric fish are early fish that are known only from fossil records. They are the earliest known vertebrates, and include the first and extinct fish that lived through the Cambrian to the Quaternary. The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology. A few living forms, such as the coelacanth are also referred to as prehistoric fish, or even living fossils, due to their current rarity and similarity to extinct forms. Fish which have become recently extinct are not usually referred to as prehistoric fish. They were very different from what we have today. They likely were larger and had tougher scales.

We offer a large selection of Fish Fossils for Sale from various time periods and geographic locations.

*Fossils that come from Limestone that is SPLIT APART to find the fossils will rarely split perfectly, with one side being a perfect positive and the other side a perfect negative. There will be areas “missing” that were left on the other half of the plate. It is usual and customary for those areas to be filled back in, usually with tinted preservative. Then, the whole specimen is lightly coated with a super-thin preservative to keep the carbonized fossil from flaking off.

  • Buy Fossils
  • Fossils for Sale
  • Large Selection 
  • Great Prices and Great Selection
  • Authenticity Guaranteed
  • Satisfaction Guaranteed
  • Your TRUSTED SOURCE for over 25 years!
  • Many more videos are available on our YouTube Channel.

Fossil Fish: Ancient Windows Into Earth’s Evolutionary Past

Cretaceous-Lebanon-Fish-Plate

#image_title

Fossil fish are among the most important clues to life’s early evolution, preserving over 500 million years of biological history. From armored jawless swimmers to the first vertebrates with jaws, fossil fish reveal how modern species—from trout to sharks—originated. This article provides an expert, trustworthy overview designed for both educational and search-intent readers.

Why Fossil Fish Matter

Key reasons fossil fish are essential to science:

  • They represent the earliest vertebrates on Earth.
  • They document major evolutionary transitions, such as the origin of jaws and transition from water to land.
  • Fossil fish help scientists understand ancient climates, ecosystems, and mass extinctions.

Researchers use fossil fish to reconstruct ancient marine environments, track biodiversity changes, and even identify new species that rewrote evolutionary timelines.

A Brief Evolutionary History of Fossil Fish

  1. Cambrian Origins (~530 million years ago)

Fish-like ancestors such as Pikaia and Haikouichthys represent the earliest chordates. Though not true fish, they show early development of a notochord—the foundation of the vertebrate spine.

  1. Jawless Fish (Agnathans)

These early fish lacked jaws and included armored species like ostracoderms. Their fossils are abundant in Silurian and Devonian rocks.

  1. The “Age of Fishes” – Devonian Period (~419–359 Ma)

The Devonian is known as the Age of Fishes because of the explosive diversification of species.

 Major groups:

  • Placoderms: Armored predators like Dunkleosteus.
  • Acanthodians: “Spiny sharks,” early jawed fish.
  • Lobe-finned fishes: Ancestors of all land vertebrates (tetrapods).
  • Ray-finned fishes: The lineage that dominates modern oceans.
  1. Rise of Modern Fish (Mesozoic–Cenozoic)

Wyoming-Eocene-Cockerellites-Liops-Fish

Teleosts, which make up 99% of fish species today, appear and diversify rapidly. Fossil sites like the Green River Formation preserve exquisite details of scales, fins, and stomach contents.

How Fossil Fish Form

Fossil fish preservation depends on several unique conditions:

Rapid burial

Most fossil fish were buried quickly in sediment, often during mudslides, volcanic ashfalls, or low-oxygen lake bottoms.

Mineral replacement

Soft tissues decay while minerals—often calcite, silica, or pyrite—replace bones and scales.

Compression fossils

Many fossil fish are found as flattened impressions in shale and limestone, especially from lake deposits.

Where Fossil Fish Are Found

World-renowned fossil fish locations

  • Green River Formation (USA) – One of the richest fossil fish deposits.
  • Mazon Creek (Illinois, USA) – Exceptional preservation in ironstone concretions.
  • Gogo Formation (Australia) – 3D-preserved Devonian fish with soft tissues.
  • Solnhofen Limestone (Germany) – Jurassic fossils alongside Archaeopteryx.

German-Jurassic-Solnhofen-Aspidorhynchus-Fish

 What Fossil Fish Teach Us

  1. Anatomy & Evolution

Fossils reveal the earliest jaws, teeth, fins, and internal organs. Some species show transitional features that trace the development from finned fish to four-limbed animals.

  1. Behavior & Diet

Stomach contents, bite marks, and even fossilized schools of fish offer clues to ancient food chains and habits.

  1. Climate & Environment

Chemical signatures in fossil bones help reconstruct past ocean temperatures and reveal extinction events.

New-Mexico-Carboniferous-Amphicentrum-Fish

Conclusion

Fossil fish offer a rare glimpse into the earliest chapters of vertebrate history. Their fossils tell the story of life’s major transformations—from jawless swimmers to the ancestors of modern fish and land animals. Whether you’re a collector, researcher, or enthusiast, fossil fish remain one of the most compelling categories of prehistoric life.

  • fossil fish
  • types of fossil fish
  • Devonian fossil fish
  • placoderm fossils
  • Green River Formation fish
  • prehistoric fish species
  • fossil fish identification
  • lobe-finned vs ray-finned fish
  • ancient marine life
  • fossilized fish specimens

Buy Fossils at Prehistoric Fossils with Confidence

 

You were not leaving your cart just like that, right?

You were not leaving your cart just like that, right?

Enter your details below to save your shopping cart for later. And, who knows, maybe we will even send you a sweet discount code :)

Want to receive personalized offers?

Allow notifications to get real-time updates about your shopping cart and who knows, you may even receive a sweet discount code 😊

Maybe later