Potamon Crab Fossil (B)- Denizli Basin | River Walkers Minerals

This Potamon crab is one of the more substantial, full-bodied examples from the Denizli Basin— thickly mineralized, deeply set, and perfectly framed within a natural travertine pocket. Instead of sitting high on the matrix, this crab appears partially nestled into its environment, with its robust claws curved inward and the carapace gently arched as if the animal had tucked itself into a shallow cavity before fossilization. Nothing has been reshaped, altered, or repaired. This is exactly how it was found.

Potamon crabs are freshwater species still living today across the eastern Mediterranean. Their fossils occur in the Pleistocene era (approx 400,000 years old), formed by mineral-rich spring waters that slowly encrusted everything in their path. In this specimen, the encrustation beautifully preserved the crab’s thick limbs, curved carapace edges, and the natural “resting” posture of the animal.

The travertine matrix is especially architectural— full of natural ledges, cavities, and botryoidal textures that look like ancient riverbed deposits frozen mid-formation. The thick cream-colored carbonate shows micro-sparkles under direct light, enhancing the sculptural contours around the crab. It displays beautifully from multiple angles!

Details:

• Species: Potamon sp. (freshwater crab)
• Formation: Travertine
• Locality: Denizli Basin, southwestern Turkey
• Age: Pleistocene era (approx 400,000 years old)
• Dimensions: 6.9 × 6.5 in (approx. 17.5 × 16.5 cm)
• Weight: 3.38 lbs (approx. 1533 g)

This piece displays beautifully flat as a natural “burrow scene,” but also looks incredible tilted upright to highlight the depth of the cavity and the crab’s thicker, tucked posture. It is self-standing at every angle.