Undescribed fish fossils
The unique and beautifully preserved fossil specimens of the London Clay from the Isle of Sheppey occur in this form nowhere else in the world. Very occasionally specimens are found that are potentially new to science. The fish fauna is where this is most likely to happen. The specimens displayed on this page are probably in this category
Above is a specimen of a puffer fish, as yet undescribed. The detail on the top of the skull is very disinctive. The image on the right shows part of the beak
This skull was found loose on a clay lump at the Coastguard lookout section between Warden Point and barrows Brook. It was sent to the natural History Mueum in London for identification and came back with the label - new species - possibly a Scombroid. Since that time I am unaware of a second specimen being found. This is also the first time that this specimen has been figured. Minimal preparation has been carried out. Some areas were cleaned up by gently washing with a tooth brush and then slightly scraping away at the matrix with a scalpel. The matrix is quite soft so it was essential not to scrape away any bone. The bone was then given a coating of PVA at 15% just to highlight the specimen. Areas of pyrite have been left untreated.
 
Undescribed fish cranium found by Chris Millbank at Warden Point and now in my collection. The specimen contains elements of the top of a large fish where disarticulated bony plates are all that were preserved. The rear of the skull is very shallow and unlike any other fish that I have seen from the London Clay. Below the specimen one vertebra has been preserved. The curators of the Natural History Museum were unable to determine even to family level.
 
A very strange partial fish skull found by Tony Vale near to Barrows Brook. Again undescribed as far as is known.
Unusually preserved specimen in a septarian cementstone. This fish is almost complete having exceptional detailing of the fins and scales. Unfortunately the top of the skull is either missing or is still within the matrix. Found by Danny Hogburn