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EXCEPTIONAL LARGE PREHISTORIC FOSSIL WHALE VERTEBRA FROM THE FAMOUS LEE CREEK MINES Pungo River Formation, Lee Creek - Aurora, North Carolina, U.S.A. MIOCENE TO PLIOCENE PERIOD: 22 - 4.5 million years ago This is a RARE and uncommonly well-preserved, giant fossil whale vertebra from a prehistoric whale from the Miocene/ Pliocene Period. Acquired directly from a long time veteran collector who routinely hunted the mines of the Lee Creek Phosphates, he reported that in over 20 years experience of working the deposit, this was his BEST large fossil whale vertebra he ever found. Past specimens we have handled were much smaller and no where near the quality of this remarkable giant in stunning preservation. Lee Creek fossils carry their own cult following, mainly for shark teeth but a giant vertebra like this is every bit as rare from this formation as finding a large Megalodon tooth there. Deposits and mine operations today are no where near what they used to be and the site has been not producing the fossils it once used to as well as public is not granted the access they did in the past, making this a highly desirable specimen that will become even more rare as time goes on. Well-preserved fossil whale vertebrae are rare due to the fact that most were preyed upon by large sharks such as Megalodon and scavenged by smaller meat-eaters when they died in prehistory. Furthermore, the porous nature of the bones makes them more susceptible to decomposition and disintegration over time, rather than fossilization. Prehistoric whale bone fossils are most often found incomplete and fragmented, at best. Large fossil whale vertebrae like this example are not common and are seldom found with such nice surface detail, a complete, intact centrum without the typical saltwater and marine life erosion and destruction. This is a rare specimen in that it has a complete centrum and parts of bases of the transverse and dorsal processes. Color is incredible and white with bone surfaces that are as perfect as they can be. This fossil is perfect to display alongside a Megalodon shark tooth collection as this creature would have shared the same waters and served as the main food source for the largest and most dangerous shark that ever lived, the MEGALODON shark. This specimen is far nicer than normally seen deserves a place in the finest fossil collection. Visually impressive! Intact with NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. Whales, dolphins and porpoises make up the group of air-breathing marine mammals called CETACEANS. This group is comprised of three sub-groups - the extinct ARCHAEOCETI, and two living types, the ODONTOCETI (toothed whales) and MYSTICETI (baleen whales). All have a body structure that is highly adapted for their marine environment. These features include paddle-like forelimbs, lack of external hind limbs, large tail for propulsion underwater, dorsally located nostrils for breathing just above the surface of the water, specialized ears for underwater hearing and a streamlined body profile for efficient hydrodynamic locomotion. Odontocetes are more prevalent and varied than Mysticetes. All of the smaller current living whales (porpoises, orcas, narwhals, pilots, etc.) and a few of the larger ones (Sperm Whale) are toothed (Odontocetes). Mysticetes include the largest animal that ever lived on the earth, the Blue Whale. All cetaceans are carnivorous with a main diet consisting of fish, invertebrates and other marine mammals. Many cetacean fossils are found in sediments alongside fossil shark teeth and other marine vertebrates but whale fossils are much less common compared to other marine vertebrate fossils of the same period and region and whale fossils are often found in fragments or show evidence of predation by prehistoric sharks, no doubt, cetaceans most feared enemy in their prehistoric past. On the south shore of the Pamlico river in North Carolina near the Outer Banks lies an open pit phosphate mine still in operation. This mine produces some of the finest fossils (Miocene to Pleistocene) in the world and the region is known as "Lee Creek" by most. There are four recognized formations each with its respective representation of an epoch in time. They are in order of oldest first, PUNGO RIVER (Lower Miocene), YORKTOWN (Early Pliocene), CHOWAN RIVER (Late Pliocene), and JAMES CITY (Pleistocene). It is currently believed that the Pungo River layer once existed as a sub-tropical marine environment. The lowest strata of this formation is theorized to have been under 100 - 200 meters of water when covered by a prehistoric ocean with the uppermost layer having existed at a depth of 70 meters under water. The Yorktown layer is believed to have been under 80 - 100 meters at its lowest strata with a gradual decrease in the ocean depth to a point where the water was as shallow as 15 meters at the last time period of that formation's existence. Approximately 50 species of sharks alone are found in the Lee Creek mine. Other fossils exist representing skates, rays, bony fishes, mammals (mainly marine), reptiles (turtles) and a host of marine invertebrates. Lee Creek is a world-class site for some of the finest shark fossils. Specimens from this unique site are coveted by collectors the world over.
SUPERB, ULTRA-RARE LEE CREEK FOSSIL WHALE VERTEBRA FROM THE KING OF THE SEAS - TODAY'S LARGEST PREDATOR! PERFECT TO DISPLAY WITH MEGALODON TEETH - WHALES WERE MEGALODON'S #1 FOOD SOURCE! 9.25" x 6.75" overall with processes $695 WH008 Actual Item - One Only |
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