Amateur Paleontologist Finds Rare Fish Fossil In Arizona

Amateur paleontologist Stephanie Leco made a rare find during a First Dig for Everyday People Event held in August at the National Park located near Holbrook in the Petrified Forest in Arizona. The park is located about 3.5 hours from Phoenix, just east of Flagstaff, according to Fox 10 News.

"It is the jaw bone of a saurichthys, which is a beaked fish that is normally found in the early to mid-Triassic period, where as we were digging in the late Triassic period," Leco said.

The 220 million-year-old fossil, just the size of a pinky nail, is the jaw of a fish, which was only 3 to 4 times the size of the fossil, when in its entirety. The fish, a saurichthys, was thought to have been extinct in the area Leco was digging, making it an even bigger discovery.

"The only other evidence of it being in this time period was previously found in China, so this is the first time that it's being seen in the North America for this time period," said Leco.

When she found the piece, she had no clue as to what she was holding. Leco handed it over to Matt Smith, the parks lead fossil preparer, who took the piece, wrapped it up, placed it in a tin and took it to the lab for closer inspection under the microscope.

The park followed up with an email to Leco later, stating that it was a fish that was closely related to the genus Saurichthys.

"People who study this group of fish might start setting their sights in our direction now," said Smith, FOX News reported.

"Anytime we can fill in gaps in the fossil record, it's really important," says Ben Kligman, a senior at the University of California, Berkley, who was also at the dig, according to the Associated Press. "People who don't study Triassic fish may not be excited. The fact you can find new stuff is the real takeaway."

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Paleontology, Paleontologists, Fossil, Matt Smith, University of California, China, North America, National Park, Flagstaff, Phoenix, August