4.6" Jurassic Eryon (Decapod Crustacean) - Germany

This is a 4.6" long, inflated specimen of Eryon arctiformis an extinct type of decapod crustacean from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany. Eryon was thought to have fed on particulate matter on the sea floor, probably having a similar lifestyle to a lobster.

It's wonderfully prepared specimen which is laid out nicely with it's tail prone, both claws, and most of the legs visible. It's nicely centered on a thick 11x12.8" slab of matrix from the quarries near Eichstatt, Germany. This specimen is about maximum size for this rare animal. There is one repaired crack in the matrix, but no significant restoration to the fossil.

The Solnhofen limestones is a famous Lagerstätte in Germany that offer amazing preservation of Upper Jurassic fossils. It is where on of the most famous fossils of all time, Archaeopteryx was found. The fine grained limestone makes excellent building materials which has let to heavy quarrying over the past two centuries which as a result has led to some amazing fossils being unearthed.

This area represented an 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 was devoid of oxygen. This lack of scavengers on the bottom of the sea led to amazing preservation of the fauna found there.