3" Iridescent Hoploscaphites Ammonite Pair - South Dakota

This is a pair of Hoploscaphities ammonites collected from the Fox Hills Formation of South Dakota. These ammonites are in excellent condition, considering the difficulty (and time required) to remove them from the rock. The shells have a flashy iridescence that enhances the natural texture and coloring. The larger of the two is believed to be a female and the smaller is a male.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

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.

These 70 million year old ammonites lived when South Dakota was a shallow inland sea. They were found preserved in concretions when split open. They then had to be hand-prepared to remove the hard rock surrounding them from their shells, a very time consuming task.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Hoploscaphities nicoletti
LOCATION
South Dakota
FORMATION
Fox Hills Formation - Trail City Member - Hoploscaphites nicolletti Zone
SIZE
Larger Ammonite: 2.55" wide, Entire specimen: 3 x 2.55"
ITEM
#209700
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