Mazon Creek Fossil Fauna
Chordates
Bony Fish
The richness of Mazon Creek fish is due, in part, to the diverse types of environments represented, including coal swamps, deltas, and brackish marine habitats. A large number of genera are attributed to the Essex Fauna which includes such rare forms as lampreys and other jawless fish, in addition to several sharks known only from Pit 11.
Acanthodes sp.
Acanthodes beecheri, K.R., Braidwood, IL 2020.
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Rhabdoderma exiguum
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Elonichthys peltigerus
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Elonichthys hypsilepus
Amphicentrum orbiculare
Isolated parts of larger fish such as scales, teeth, bones, cartilage, and skin, occur in the Mazon Creek Fauna and in some cases are the only fossil evidence of a species.
Fish Scales
Ctenodus cristatus
Indeterminate fish scales
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Bone, Cartilage, and Skin
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