3.8" Fossil Damselfly (Zygoptera) - Solnhofen Limestone

Fossil Damselfly (Zygoptera) - Solnhofen Limestone #188742

This is a 3.8" wide fossil damselfly (Zygoptera) from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone of Germany. Complete fossil damselflies are fairly rare finds in this formation and there are several species present.

This specimen shows a lot of detail, particularly in its wings. It is located on a large unbroken 20 x 16.5" slab of limestone which also contains a 1.8" wide ammonite fossil. There is a mineralized seam running through the slab and the damselfly fossil; this is not a repaired crack.

The slab is quite large and we can trim it down to a much smaller size upon request at no cost. This will also save significantly on shipping costs.

The Solnhofen limestone is a famous Upper Jurassic lagerstätte in Germany. It is where one of the most famous fossils of all time, Archaeopteryx, was found. The fine-grained limestone makes excellent building material, which has led to heavy quarrying over the past two centuries. In the process, some spectacular fossils were unearthed, including fossil dragonflies, fish, pterosaurs, shrimp, horseshoe crabs, and many more.

This area represents an ancient archipelago at the edge of a sea. Due to high salt content, the lowest levels in the water column could not support much life and were largely devoid of oxygen. This lack of oxygen and scavengers on the bottom of the sea led to beautiful fossil preservation.