3D Fossil Crab Pulalius vulgaris from Washington

Description: Among the world’s best-preserved crab fossils are those occurring in western Washington state. Generally the crabs quickly fall apart after death. So for these crabs to be found is so fine a state of preservation in a rarity. They must have been buried soon after death. The crabs are found in concretions along the sides of creeks and beds of local streams. Painstaking work and long hours are required to prepare them.

This Pulalius is an excellent example of a fully prone dorsal specimen. Seven of ten appendages have been preserved partially to fully. In particular the two arms and pincers are exquisite. My preparator not only preps the concretion from the top down, but also preps into the side to expose the fully inflated claws and pincers. In this case, they are ominously lifelike. Note the shiny dark brown color of the carapace and legs. The pustulate carapace shows no signs of crushing or distortion. It is fully inflated, well centered and 3D. It’s a real gem of a display quality Washington fossil crab.

In 2008 and 2009 I had the unique privilege of purchasing two large lots from a most important collection. The collector had painstakingly accumulated a superb group of decapods, echinoderms and other fossils during a twenty-year period. The vast majority of the specimens came from self-collecting, academic resources, trading, and selected purchases. Very few of fossils came from the normal channels of trade shows and commercial internet resources. Any specimen presented under this introductory paragraph will generally be a superior collector grade fossil; be it of rarity, preservation, or, both.