Description

Pipefish Mass Mortality Plate

Species: Syngnathus acus

Age: Upper Miocene, 11-5 million years old

Location: Rimini, Italy

Formation of Origin: Messinian Stage

This is a fantastic specimen with a complete pipefish centered in the middle, including the bill and tail. It’s surrounded by the partial remains of at least 7 other individuals. In modern settings, pipefish school together, allowing their numbers to help disguise them as floating reeds and sticks to avoid predators through camouflage; a mass mortality plate such as this implies that ancient pipefish organized in similar ways.

The back of this plate contains yet another partial individual, bringing our grand total up to at least nine for the plate. This specimen comes from an old collection and still includes the provenance information from the original collector.

Offer includes a stand and certificate of authenticity.