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14.5" Giant, Bumpy Ammonite (Douvilleiceras) Fossil
This is a giant, 14.5" wide Douvilleiceras ammonite from the Upper Cretaceous of Madagascar. This genus of ammonites has earned the local name "Tractor Ammonites", due to their distinctively bumpy surface and pronounced ridges making them resemble a tractor tire. Weighing 55 lbs this might be the largest example of this genus I've seen available. It has been prepared free from the surrounding rock, lightly polished and there are several smaller ammonites still attached to it.
It comes with a metal display stand.
It comes with a metal display stand.
About Ammonites
Ammonites were ancient marine cephalopods, similar to today's squids and octopuses, but with a defining feature: their distinctive, tightly coiled spiral shells. These shells, resembling those of modern nautiluses, served as both a protective home and a buoyancy aid, allowing ammonites to navigate the prehistoric seas with ease. First emerging around 240 million years ago in the Triassic Period, ammonites thrived for over 175 million years, adapting through numerous forms and sizes. As predatory creatures, they likely fed on smaller marine organisms, using their tentacles to capture prey. However, their long reign came to an end 65 million years ago at the close of the Cretaceous, coinciding with the mass extinction event that also eliminated the dinosaurs.
What an ammonite would have looked like while alive.
Ammonites were ancient marine cephalopods, similar to today's squids and octopuses, but with a defining feature: their distinctive, tightly coiled spiral shells. These shells, resembling those of modern nautiluses, served as both a protective home and a buoyancy aid, allowing ammonites to navigate the prehistoric seas with ease. First emerging around 240 million years ago in the Triassic Period, ammonites thrived for over 175 million years, adapting through numerous forms and sizes. As predatory creatures, they likely fed on smaller marine organisms, using their tentacles to capture prey. However, their long reign came to an end 65 million years ago at the close of the Cretaceous, coinciding with the mass extinction event that also eliminated the dinosaurs.
What an ammonite would have looked like while alive.
SPECIES
Douvilleiceras mammilatum & Others
LOCATION
Mahajanga Province, Madagascar
SIZE
14.5" wide, 7.5" thick, 55 lbs
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#279781
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