Huge, 7" Fossil Dragonfly (Aeschnogomphus) - Solnhofen Limestone

Huge, Fossil Dragonfly (Aeschnogomphus) - Solnhofen Limestone #240228

This is a 7" wide fossil dragonfly (Aeschnogomphus intermedius) from Solnhofen Limestone, Germany. Complete fossil dragonflies are rare finds in this formation and there are several species present. There is good wing detail in this specimen and several of the legs can also be seen fossilized. It's nicely centered on a 17.1 x 11.25" slab of limestone.

Comes with an acrylic-metal stand.

There is a repaired crack that runs down the entire body of this specimen where the rock split during collection. The thin shale that the dragonfly is preserved on has been back with a thick slab of shale for structural integrity of the specimen.

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.

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