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Neoproscinetes penalvai, Santana Pycnodont Fish

Neoproscinetes penalvai is an uncommon fossil fish known only from a few specimens found in numerous museum collections in Europe, North America and Brazil. This is a magnificent replica specimen and displays the finest possible, rare life-like 3D state of breath-taking preservation. Dinosaurs ruled the earth and pterosaurs ruled the skies when this fish swam amidst the depths of a Cretaceous sea. Neoproscinetes was a type of extinct fish called a Pycnodont, meaning "dense tooth". These fish are typified by their deep, laterally compressed bodies and "shell crusher" type rounded pebble-like teeth. This made them well-suited to feed on armored prey such as small crustaceans like shrimp and crabs as well as shellfish, snails and sea urchins.

The original of this specimen was found in Brazil's Santana Formation, Lower Cretaceous of about 110 million years ago.