11.8" Iridescent, Pyritized Ammonite (Speetoniceras) Fossil

This is a large, 11.8" wide Speetoniceras versicolor ammonite fossil from the Lower Cretaceous (Hauterivian Stage) deposits of the Volga River in Russia. The preserved shell features a gorgeous red and purple iridescence that flashes in the light. Much of the pyrite that surrounded this ammonite has been left over its exterior, primarily along one side. This is a gorgeous display piece and it comes with a stand to facilitate aesthetic presentation.

There has been some restoration and repair to the ammonite. Several cracks have been repaired and filled on both sides of the ammonite and it's likely some of the pyrite has been added.

Ammonites were predatory cephalopod mollusks that resembled squids with spiral shells. They are more closely related to living octopuses, though their shells resemble that of nautilus species. True ammonites appeared in the fossil record about 240 million years ago during the Triassic Period. The last lineages disappeared 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous.

What an ammonite would have looked like while alive.
What an ammonite would have looked like while alive.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Speetoniceras versicolor
LOCATION
Volga river, Ulyanovsk region, Russia
SIZE
Ammonite: 11.8" wide
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#228075
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