old fish found in Inverness pavement

In Inverness city centre, a worker from the National Trust for Scotland discovered ancient fish fossils embedded in a paving stone. These fossils, dating back approximately 385 million years to the Devonian period, predate the dinosaurs by around 140 million years. The Caithness flagstone, which contains these fossils, was formed from sediment at the bottom of a large freshwater lake that once extended from the Moray coast to Orkney and Shetland. This significant find highlights the geological history of the area, as similar fossils have been documented in other cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, but not previously in Inverness. The discovery was brought to the attention of a palaeontologist, who was unaware of their existence, indicating a gap in the knowledge of local geological features. The staff at the Inverness museum were also not informed about these fossils, suggesting that there is potential for further research and public interest in the region's prehistoric past.