Before
This specimen is a fish belonging to the genus Pachycormus, it is by no means the finest specimen from Strawberry Bank and was used as a "test" specimen for the first preparatory work of the project. Of course great care was taken in the work regardless of that fact and some fascinating features have been exposed.
After
In ventral view (underside, in this case of the head) the gill membranes are preserved in astonishing detail [top] and can be compared to a modern perch [bottom], preservation of soft tissues like these are rare in fossilisation but common from the 183 million year old site.
JESBI gallery:
