This Mooneye, Eohiodon, once swam in one of the warm interior BC lakes surrounded by active volcanoes. Recovered from the McAbee Fossil Heritage Site, this fish fossil is estimated to be 53 million years old.

Warm lake waters supported a rich aquatic life including crayfish, fish and insects during the Eocene Epoch. Countless mooneyes swam in these lakes, including the one that once occurred near McAbee, BC. When they died, their bodies fell to the bottom and were preserved in exquisite detail in the oxygen-poor silty sediments.

Modern mooneyes are named after their large shiny eyes. They live in eastern North America especially in the Great Lakes. The exceptionally diverse and well-preserved fossils of the McAbee beds have recently been preserved as a Provincial Heritage Site.