Stunningly Beautiful 6.8 Inch Split Ammonite

Stunningly Beautiful Inch Split Ammonite #1291

This is a true natural work of art, a large Cleoniceras ammonite fossil from the Cretaceous (110 MYA) found in the Mahajanga Province of Madagascar. It has been cut in half and polished to reveal the inner chamber detail. These chambers have been highly mineralized with some of them being preserved as pockets of calcite crystals. The reverse side is also polished and displays some of the shell along with the distinctive suture pattern.

This ammonite is quite large at 6.8 inches wide and comes with a pair of display stands to show it off. It is truly a natural work of art.

Ammonites were predatory mollusks that resembled squids with shells. These cephalopods had eyes, tentacles, and spiral shells. Though their shells resemble that of a nautilus, they are actually more closely related to living octopuses. Ammonites appeared in the fossil record about 240 million years ago, barely surviving several major extinction events. The last lineages disappeared 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous.

Artist's reconstruction of an ammonite, by Nobu Tamura

More about ammonites