Fish

Fish This deep bodied fossil fish is called Dapedium. It is almost perfectly preserved with its clear dark black scales.

Shark This is an extinct Hybodus shark. Most of a shark’s skeleton is made out of cartilage, which is softer than bone and rarely fossilises. This fossil has not only parts of the cartilaginous skeleton preserved but also the soft tissue outline of the body. It is amazing fossils like this that make Charmouth one of the most famous sites for fossils in the world.

Coccolepis Coccolepis is a very rare type of fish and this specimen is fantastically preserved and complete. It was found in 1994 by Chris Moore. This fossil fish is currently on display at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and is recorded in the Fossil Collecting Code. Scale = 10mm.

Pholidophorus sp. This small fish is almost perfectly preserved and was found by Richard Edmonds from the Jurassic Coast Team in February 2009. Although complete fossil fish are rare here, this type of fish is well known from these rocks. The Lower Lias rocks of Charmouth and Lyme Regis are one of the most important sites in the world for Lower Jurassic fish. Scale = 10mm.