Description
Ammonite fossils come from marine animals belonging to a phylum of Mollusks and the Class Cephalopods. They had a coiled shell. The Ammonites were like the modern-day octopus but today the octopus have lost their shell. Ammonites evolved some 416 million years ago and were once one of the most abundant animals of the Paleozoic seas. The creature lived within the shell which formed into a spiral. The spiral was made up of ever-increasing chambers. Within the chambers was a structure called a siphuncle which allowed the ammonite to pump air into the chambers allowing it to remain buoyant as it swam. When cut in half and polished they reveal the structure and are very appealing
This is a Fossil German Ammonite PLEUROCERAS Ammonite Cephalopod. It is from the Jurassic Period of Germany.
This spiral cephalopod comes from an area no longer accessible. They come from the Pliebachian Stage near Forscheim, Germany.
A wonderful example of this Fossil Pleuroceras Ammonite Cephalopod. Ammonites were marine creatures that lived in a hard shell. They were cephalopods related to octopus and Squid. But these creatures retained their hard shell. But they can be found in large areas of Germany and Europe. Because of the erosion and weathering of the earth surfaces these can be readily found. But some rock breaking is necessary. Normally when found some shell material remains along with the color.
This piece is from an upper Jurassic marine formation. And the formation is well known for its ammonite fossils. But this area is not accessible any longer. Much of the area in Germany was part of a shallow ocean Seaway. This was a sea that stretched out across much of Europe. So this area was full of marine creatures including fish and others. These Fossil Dactylioceras Ammonite Cephalopod grew to large sizes but even the small ones have great detail.
The Fossil Pleuroceras Ammonite Cephalopod is related to the modern day octopus but then they had a hard external shell. However the octopus of today has lost their shells. The Ammonite also had tentacles with which it captured it’s food.
This ammonite is 3/8 inches long on a piece of matrix 1 by 1 1/2 and the glass topped collectors case is 4 1/4 by 5 1/4 inches.
