Gadiformes are a diverse order of ray-finned fish including many modern fish which are the targets of commercial fishing including Cod, Hake, Pollock and Haddock. Although the origins of the Gadiformes can be tracked back to the Late Cretaceous, it was the Eocene which saw a much greater explosion in diversity.

This is an artistic reconstruction of a Rhinocephalus planiceps swimming in the murky depths of the Eocene seas looking for a meal amongst tropical leaf and palm pods settled on the undisturbed sea floor.