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2.4" Pyritize Enrcusted Ammonite (Pleuroceras) Fossil - Germany
This is a beautiful pyritized ammonite (Pleuroceras spinatum) fossil collected from the Holzbachacker clay pit near Buttenheim, Bavaria/Germany. It's Jurassic, Pliensbachian stage or approximately 190 million years old. The surrounding rock has been removed to expose this ammonite, however the pyrite that encrusts the exterior of the ammonite has been left in place. You can feel the heft of the iron pyrite in the specimen when you hold it in your hand.
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.
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.
SPECIES
Pleuroceras spinatum
LOCATION
Buttenheim, Bavaria/Germany
FORMATION
Holzbachacker Clay-Pit
SIZE
2.4" wide
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#125406
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