From the Eocene (circa 50 million years ago), an 18 1/2-inch specimen of Diplomystus sp. showing strong definition to the body and fins, preserved in the act of consuming another fish, possibly a Knightia sp., its tail protruding several inches out of the larger fish's mouth, both specimens prepped in rectangular-cut matrix, mounted on board with hanging mounts for ease of display.
22 x 30 x 2¹⁄₂in. (56 x 76 x 6.5cm.)

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Lot Essay

In the present Lot, one larger fish has struggled to eat its meal whole and fallen to the sea floor where both have been preserved in this death pose - a rare and important example of ichthyological behaviour being preserved in the fossil record. While individual bones occasionally survive in the bellies of fossilized creatures, it is rarer still to see one fossil eating another. The present specimen captures this extraordinary natural event; highlighting the impressive size Diplomystus could grow to, and serving as proof of the species' aggressive propensity to hunt and consume its own kind.

The diminuitive size of its prey could perhaps identify it as a Knightia sp., but one cannot rule out the possibility that the Diplomystus has been frozen in a cannibalistic feeding frenzy. Conversely, this scene is a moment of Pyrrhic victory for the smaller specimen.