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INTACT ICE AGE FOSSIL GIANT EASTERN MUREX FROM FAMOUS LEISEY SHELL PIT Leisey Shell Pit - Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A. EARLY PLEISTOCENE PERIOD: 1 - 1.5 million years ago Known for its splendid array of gastropod fossils, Florida is home to many fossil shell species in abundance. The nature of finding a gastropod fossil in a shell pit, for example, usually means that it will be heavily weathered and seriously damaged. Certainly, delicate features of the shell are almost always missing. This is an exquisite and intact specimen of Hexaplex fulvescens, the Giant Eastern Murex that has survived the last Ice Age and exists today. Delicate spines are very well-preserved and intact. Entire fossil shell is white thereby allowing the complex spiny anatomy to really stand out when viewed. This remarkable gastropod fossil is in the highest class for its condition (and provenance!) and would most certainly make for an impressive gastropod display fossil. Intact spines on a modern example of this species is the norm but for a 1.5 million year fossil shell pit specimen to be in this condition is NOT COMMON. Guaranteed NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION.What is most impressive is the site from which this remarkable fossil shell was collected, the Early Pleistocene Period Leisey Shell Pit in Ruskin, Florida. The history about the site in which this fossil was found is as fascinating and important as the fossil itself. The Leisey Pit was Florida's richest and most concentrated assemblages of Pleistocene fossils ever found and one of North America's most famous sites of this period. Since the site has been closed to the public, collecting is prohibited. This superb specimen comes from an old private collection and is the first of its kind we have ever been fortunate enough to secure and offer for sale. Hexaplex fulvescens is a member of the Muricidae, the largest marine snail family commonly called Murex and Rock Shells. This group includes species with ornate and highly variable carapaces. Like all gastropods, these are active predators that occupy tropical or semi-tropical in marine environments. Most species possess radulas (rasping mouth part) designed for drilling other shells and tearing flesh. Despite its efficient design for boring, these gastropods prefer to chip away at the edges of a clam shell to get at the tender meat. To aid in boring, an internal organ secretes a calcium chelating compound that softens the victim's shell during the drilling process. Drilling is then carried out by the radula. Muricids use a paralytic neurotoxin for killing their prey that is secreted by the mucus of their hypobranchial gland. Several entirely unrelated gastropod families also possess this unique secretion. If you want a very high-grade and stunning prehistoric sea snail fossil, we highly recommend this example. This sea snail was alive during the last Ice Age in North America when many gigantic and bizarre beasts walked the earth and swam in the oceans including the last days of the giant Megalodon shark! INTACT ICE AGE FOSSIL SHELL FROM ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS NORTH AMERICAN FOSSIL DEPOSITS OF ITS PERIOD! 4.5" in length SOLD GA-028 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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