Fossil discovery: Intact 63-million-year-old fish skeleton found in Denmark

An intact 63-million-year-old scorpionfish skeleton has been discovered at the Faxe Kalkbrud in Denmark. Found by German fossil collector Florian Gustke in August, the specimen is considered highly unusual because it is a complete skeleton rather than fragmented remains.

Jesper Milàn, museum inspector at KALK, noted that while thousands of fish remains have been found in the area, complete skeletons are extremely rare due to predators on the seabed at the time the limestone was formed. The fish likely sank into the seabed quickly enough to avoid being consumed.

The skeleton will be sent to the Danekræ committee at the State Museum of Natural History for evaluation. In the meantime, it will be displayed at the KALK Museum during the autumn holidays.