Large 6.9 Inch Cleoniceras Ammonite (Half)

Large Inch Cleoniceras Ammonite (Half) #873

Here is a very large half of a cut and polished ammonite from Madagascar. It's 6.9 inches wide and displays well on the included acrylic display stand. These ammonites are mined in the Mahajanga Province of Madagascar and are approximately 110 million years old There is a repaired crack through the center of the ammonite, but it doesn't detract from the beauty of the specimen.

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