Pair of Iridescent Ammonite (Deshayesites) Fossils

This is a beautiful pair of Deshayesites deshayesi ammonite fossils from the Lower Cretaceous deposits of Saratov, Russia. They have been nicely exposed from the rock they were found in, with portions of the iridescent shell left intact. The base of the rock has been cut flat for an aesthetic, free-standing presentation, or it can be displayed on the accompanied acrylic display stand.

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