Description
Genuine Lepidotes Fish Tooth Fossil
This listing is for a genuine Lepidotes fish tooth fossil from the Nothe Grit, Redcliff Formation, Lower Oxfordian, Jurassic, collected from Bowleaze Cove, Dorset, UK. This is a carefully chosen fossil specimen with excellent British Jurassic provenance, selected for its natural character, scientific interest and display appeal.
The photograph shows the actual specimen you will receive, allowing you to view the fossil tooth, matrix and natural preservation before purchase. Full sizing and scale details can be seen in the photo. Your specimen was discovered by our own team members, Alister and Alison, and has been carefully cleaned, prepped and treated by Alison. It is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, confirming that this is a genuine fossil specimen suitable for collectors, educational displays, fossil study collections and natural history cabinets.
About Lepidotes
Lepidotes is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish known from the Mesozoic Era. These fish lived in marine, brackish and freshwater environments and were part of an ancient group often recognised for their thick enamelled scales and strong crushing teeth. Lepidotes is especially well known from isolated teeth and scales, which are among the most durable parts of the animal and are often preserved when more delicate skeletal material is absent.
Lepidotes fish were adapted for feeding on hard-shelled prey. Their teeth were generally rounded, robust and button-like, forming a crushing dentition ideal for processing shells and other tough food items. This feeding style means Lepidotes is often associated with ancient environments where bivalves, gastropods and other shelled organisms were present. A genuine Lepidotes tooth fossil is therefore a fascinating piece of evidence from a Jurassic food web.
Tooth Form and Fossil Features
A Lepidotes fish tooth is a highly collectable fossil because it represents the feeding anatomy of a distinctive prehistoric fish. Rather than being sharp and blade-like, Lepidotes teeth were often broad, rounded and durable, suited to crushing rather than cutting. This makes them visually different from many shark or predatory fish teeth and gives them strong educational interest.
The tooth preserved in this specimen offers a direct connection to the animal’s diet and behaviour. Fossil teeth are particularly useful to palaeontologists because they can reveal feeding adaptations, ecological roles and the presence of different fish groups within ancient marine deposits. As a display piece, a Lepidotes tooth from Dorset is an appealing addition to a collection of Jurassic fossils, fossil fish material or British vertebrate specimens.
Nothe Grit, Redcliff Formation and Lower Oxfordian Age
This fossil comes from the Nothe Grit, part of the Redcliff Formation, dating to the Lower Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic Period. The Oxfordian is an important interval of Late Jurassic time, when warm shallow seas covered parts of what is now southern England.
The Nothe Grit and associated Redcliff Formation deposits preserve evidence of ancient marine environments where sediments accumulated on the seabed and fossil remains became buried, mineralised and preserved over millions of years. Fossils from these beds can include ammonites, bivalves, marine vertebrate material and other remains from the Jurassic sea. A Lepidotes fish tooth from this setting provides a small but important glimpse into the fish life that formed part of that ancient ecosystem.
Bowleaze Cove, Dorset Fossil Locality
Bowleaze Cove, Dorset lies within the wider Jurassic Coast region, an area internationally known for its rich geological record and fossil-bearing coastal exposures. Fossils from this part of Dorset are sought after for their classic British provenance and their connection to the historic Jurassic rocks of the south coast.
During the Jurassic Period, this area was covered by marine waters supporting a diverse ecosystem of fish, ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and marine reptiles. The preservation of fish teeth in these deposits helps illustrate the variety of vertebrate life present in the ancient sea and makes specimens from Bowleaze Cove appealing to collectors and geology enthusiasts.
Collectable British Jurassic Fish Fossil
This Lepidotes fish tooth fossil from Bowleaze Cove is a desirable specimen for collectors of British fossils, Jurassic fossils, fossil fish teeth, Dorset fossils, vertebrate fossils and natural history display pieces. Its provenance from the Nothe Grit of the Redcliff Formation, together with its Lower Oxfordian age, gives it strong geological context and excellent collectable appeal.
The specimen has been carefully selected for authenticity, natural appearance and educational value. With its genuine Jurassic age, classic UK locality, actual-specimen photograph and included Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, this Lepidotes fish tooth fossil offers a direct connection to the ancient marine life of Jurassic Dorset.
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