Man Reels in 90 Million Year Old Fossil on Iowa-Nebraska Border

For some fishermen (like me), it's amazing when you just reel in a live fish. I enjoy the sport -- if you can call it that -- pretty much only when I actually catch something. Other than that, I can't agree with the sentiment that "a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work."

Andy Moore, a native of Elkhorn, Nebraska, probably disagrees with me on that.

Moore was fishing in the Missouri River as part of a tournament that took place this month when he casted his line into the water.

He said this to KETV about what happened next:

I pitch my jig, horrible cast, I missed the mark far wide left.

What he brought on to his boat turned out to be what he described as the 'catch of a lifetime.'

It turned out to be the 90 million year old remains of what is described as a 'bulldog fish,' whose scientific name is xiphactinus audax.

National Geographic further describes the pre-historic species of fish: "Xiphactinus was one of the largest bony fish of the Late Cretaceous and is considered one of the fiercest creatures in the sea. A powerful tail and winglike pectoral fins shot the 17-foot-long (5-meter-long) monster through the surface waters of the ocean. Unlucky fish and unsuspecting seabirds were snared inside Xiphactinus's upturned jaw, which was lined with giant, fanglike teeth, giving it an expression akin to that of a bulldog.

...

Xiphactinus trolled an ancient ocean called the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of central North America during the Cretaceous. Though long extinct, if alive today the bony fish would look like a giant, fanged tarpon."

After posting a picture of the fossil, Moore was contacted by several friends and was directed to where he could donate it to be displayed for educational purposes. It will soon go on display at the Lewis and Clark Visitors Center in Nebraska City, Nebraska.