Fish scales from unknown fossil fish, the most common kind of "fish" fossil at the monument. (FLFO 79)
NPS
Bowfin Amia scutata
Amia is the largest of the four kinds of fossil fish known from Florissant and grew up to 18 inches (45 cm) long. Its dorsal fin on top is long and ribbon-like, giving it the common name bowfin. Bowfins belong to a primitive group of fishes that are important for understanding fish evolution. Today, the only surviving species of Amia lives in eastern North America and is considered to be a “living fossil” because bowfins were more diverse and widespread in the geological past. If the Florissant bowfin was similar to the modern species, it lived in shallow water near the bottom of the lake but would rise to the surface to gulp air. It had an air bladder that functioned as a sort of “lung,” which allowed it to live in stagnant water conditions. Amia was an aggressive predator that used its sharp teeth to eat other fish.
A) Bowfin fossil found in the monument. B) Reconstruction of the bowfin skeleton. C) Reconstruction of the bowfin as it might have once looked. (FLFO 154)
NPS/SIP: Mariah Slovacek
Bowfin fish from skeleton to flesh. FLFO 154
NPS/SIP Mariah Slovacek
The fossilized tail from a bowfin. (FLFO 121)
NPS
This is an unusually small fossil bowfin and a rare one that preserves the top (dorsal) side of the body. (FLFO 11499B)
