Here the result of the Escuminac Formation #paleostream! These deposits from the Devonian of Canada offer a glimpse into a coastal fish community with some absolute bangers and historical favorites. But it doesn't come without it challenges.
Most difficult was actually where to set this piece. Historically interpretations of this formation have varied a lot, from lakes to marine settings. However the Escuminac Formation is now pretty well established as a estuary setting in a large bay fed by a river delta.
However, this particular dispositional environment is horrible when it comes to artwork! Visibility underwater drops into nothingness. That's why we moved the pieces into a calmer inlet, behind a barrier spit, hugely inspired by the Jupiter inlet in Florida.
Fauna wise you are confronted with a lot of Bothriolepis and Eusthenopteron, but the largest creature here is Elpistostege, a "fishopod", a relative of Tiktaalik. Acanthodians, early coelocanths and placoderms complete the image with eurypterids lurking the shadows...
Not only is the preservation exceptional here but was also have tons of juveniles from here. In some cases whole ontogenetic series can be reconstructed. This might indicate that this bay was used as a nursery which is why I wanted to show different reproductive strategies n this pieces. With stuff like mouth brooding, egg laying and ovivivipary. Size charts by Discord member HeWhoNeedsToBeSilenced, he also did the separate baby chart above.
