Aragonite Ammonite Fossil (Madagascan) - Sold As Seen - Iridescent Shelled Cephalopod

This beautiful Ammonite fossilized specimen is sold as seen and measures approx. 3.1cms x 2.5cms x 0.7cms.

Ammonites are marine fossils that lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. The name 'ammonite' originates from the Greek Ram-horned god called Ammon with the ammonites being so named due to their resemblance in shape to spiraled ram horns. Ammonites belong to a group of predators known as shelled cephalopods, which includes their living relatives the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

This ammonite is aragonite based and comes from Madagascar where these marine creatures thrived in the warm, shallow seas. Over time sedimentation and mineralization replaced their shells with calcite, iron oxides and aragonite giving them their beautiful colour, whilst the iridescence light reflecting from the preserved nacre layer, which is composed of thousands of microscopic layers of aragonite separated by thin layers of organic material.

PLEASE NOTE: This specimen is in its natural form, so needs to be handled with extra care as it is a fragile stone. Shedding of small crystals, inclusions and markings are all normal and just part of the natural specimen.