Undescribed
fish fossils
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The
unique and beautifully preserved fossil specimens of the London Clay
from the Isle of Sheppey occur in this form nowhere else in the world.
Very occasionally specimens are found that are potentially new to science.
The fish fauna is where this is most likely to happen. The specimens
displayed on this page are probably in this category
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This
skull was found loose on a clay lump at the Coastguard lookout section
between Warden Point and barrows Brook. It was sent to the natural History
Mueum in London for identification and came back with the label - new
species - possibly a Scombroid. Since that time I am unaware of a second
specimen being found. This is also the first time that this specimen
has been figured. Minimal preparation has been carried out. Some areas
were cleaned up by gently washing with a tooth brush and then slightly
scraping away at the matrix with a scalpel. The matrix is quite soft
so it was essential not to scrape away any bone. The bone was then given
a coating of PVA at 15% just to highlight the specimen. Areas of pyrite
have been left untreated.
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Undescribed
fish cranium found by Chris Millbank at Warden Point and now in my collection.
The specimen contains elements of the top of a large fish where disarticulated
bony plates are all that were preserved. The rear of the skull is very
shallow and unlike any other fish that I have seen from the London Clay.
Below the specimen one vertebra has been preserved. The curators of
the Natural History Museum were unable to determine even to family level.
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A very
strange partial fish skull found by Tony Vale near to Barrows Brook.
Again undescribed as far as is known.
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Unusually
preserved specimen in a septarian cementstone. This fish is almost complete
having exceptional detailing of the fins and scales. Unfortunately the
top of the skull is either missing or is still within the matrix. Found
by Danny Hogburn
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