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8.6" Wide Fossil Ammonite Cluster - South Dakota
This is a fossil ammonite cluster from the Fox Hills Formation of South Dakota. It's been wonderfully prepared on the hard concretion it was found in. The largest ammonite is a 3.6" Jeletzkytes nebrascensis and the total width of this cluster is 8.6". There are a number of other complete ammonites in this rock including a Hoploscaphites nicolletii and multiple Scaphites ammonites, along with fragments of shells still partially concealed in the stone.
The Hoploscaphites nicolletii appears to have been removed from the rock, cleaned and remounted, though it is still in the exact location it was found.
The Hoploscaphites nicolletii appears to have been removed from the rock, cleaned and remounted, though it is still in the exact location it was found.
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.
$495
SPECIES
Jeletzkytes nebrascensis, Hoploscaphites nicolletii & Scaphites sp.
LOCATION
South Dakota
FORMATION
Fox Hills Formation
SIZE
Largest ammonite 3.6" wide (J. nebrascensis). Entire specimen 8.6 x 6.5"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#137271
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