In the early Eocene Epoch over 50 million years ago, drainage from the newly formed Rocky Mountains created what geologists call Fossil Lake. The climate of Fossil Lake was subtropical, similar to the climate of Florida today. The lake was home to palm trees, crocodiles, turtles, and an abundance of fish. Unique conditions resulted in some of the best preserved fossils ever discovered. The sediments of fossil lake were first discovered in the 1850’s near a small town in Wyoming. Unlike other fossil formations around the world where mostly fragments of specimens are found, these fish are most often perfectly preserved in entirety.