2.3" Triassic Ammonite (Ceratites praenodosus) w/ Bivalve - Germany

Triassic Ammonite (Ceratites praenodosus) w/ Bivalve - Germany #243506

This is a 2.3" wide specimen of a Middle Triassic ammonite (Ceratites praenodosus). It comes from the the Muschelkalk Formation in Germany. It was found inside of a hard concretion naturally associated with a bivalve (Bakevellia sp.) fossil, and has been nicely prepared with a portion of rock remaining, acting as a display base.

There are spots of restoration along the outer edge, with restoration within the central spiral as well.

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.

More about ammonites