Name: Monte Bolca Location: Northern Italy Age: Eocene

Taphonomy

• Not much work has been conducted on the taphonomy of Monte Bolca fossils.
• The fish are often fully articulated. There is good soft part preservation in these fish with organs, skin and scales being preserved in some cases.
• Pigmentation patterns of the skin may even be preserved in some cases.
• The Lagerstautte layers in the Monte Bolca deposits are well laminated (i.e. lacking any bioturbation) and commonly contain pyrite and bitumen. These two features are indicative of anoxic or subanoxic conditions, which would have inhibited decay and precluded many scavengers.