Stingrays are an ancient and beautiful ray fish which have glided through the oceans for millions of years. Belonging to the superorder Batoidea, their ancestors were contemporary with dinosaurs, first appearing 145,000,000 years ago.

This specimen is a fossil denticle from a stingray. These denticles are specialized dermal scales, which provided armor and reduced water friction on the ancient animals. Since their skeletons are made of cartilage, like sharks, these denticles are one of the best ways we have to track the evolution of these majestic sea creatures. These particular denticles come from the Bone Valley formation in Florida and are estimated at 15 million years old.