13" Spiny Jurassic Ammonite (Apoderoceras) Fossil - England

Spiny Jurassic Ammonite (Apoderoceras) Fossil - England #243511

This is a massive, 13" wide, spiny ammonite (Apoderoceras cf. leckenbyi) fossil from Charmouth, England. It has been nicely prepared using mechanical tools to remove the surrounding limestone. Many of the spines are particularly preserved but they have not been restored as is typically seen. Small, naturally associated ammonite fossils can be found scattered throughout the specimen. The rock has been cut flat so that it stands up nicely without the need for a display stand. The entire specimen measures 16.1' tall by 12" wide and weighs just over 57 lbs.

Ammonites were predatory mollusks that resembled a squid with a shell. These cephalopods had eyes, tentacles, and spiral shells. They are more closely related to a living octopus, though the shells resemble that of a nautilus. True ammonites appeared in the fossil record about 240 million years ago. 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