Fossil Freshwater Crab (Potamon sp.) – Pleistocene, Turkey

This is a genuine fossil freshwater crab (Potamon sp.) preserved in a natural travertine limestone matrix from the Denizli Basin, southwest Turkey. The specimen dates to the Pleistocene Epoch (approximately 400,000+ years old).

The crab is preserved as a three-dimensional outer cast within a natural cavity of the travertine and is coated with a thin, natural film of calcium carbonate. Anatomical features of the carapace are visible, with parts of the specimen partially obscured by secondary mineral deposition. No restoration or artificial enhancement.

Travertine is a form of limestone that forms around mineral springs. Fossil crabs such as this are occasionally discovered during the quarrying of travertine slabs used for building stone in the Denizli region.

A visually striking and uncommon example of a fossil crab preserved in travertine.

Details

Species: Potamon sp.

Age: Pleistocene (Quaternary), approx. 400,000+ years

Formation: Travertine deposits

Locality: Denizli Basin, Southwest Turkey

Condition: Natural, unaltered

Measurements:

Crab: approx. 60 × 55 × 27 mm

Matrix: approx. 157 × 102 × 36 mm

Weight: approx. 928 g