|AGE:||300 million years|
|LOCATION:||Francis Creek Formation, Braidwood, Illinois, USA|
Braidwood"s coal mines are rich in fossils. The lamprey in the picture is a species lacking a jawbone. Although they generally live in shallow waters, some species make long journeys in oceans. This fossil is an evidence that lampreys have undergone no changes for approximately 300 million years. Despite the time that has passed, lampreys have always remained the same. There exists no difference between a lamprey that lived millions of years ago and those that live today.