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THE ANIMAL LIVED IN THE LAST LARGE CHAMBER WHICH HAS BEEN SPLIT AND INTERNALLY EXPOSED AS SEEN IN THE ABOVE AND BELOW PHOTOS. THE MEDIAL KEEL RIDGE, WHICH WAS AN ANATOMICAL FEATURE OF THE SHELL CAN BE SEEN RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO THE END (BELOW PHOTO) OF THIS LIGHTER GRAY ROCK INDICATING THIS IS NOT SIMPLY ADDITIONAL MATRIX TO ARTIFICIALLY BOOST THE SIZE OF THIS SPECTACULAR TRUE GIANT SPECIMEN!
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RARE MASSIVE BLACK ARIETITES AMMONITE FROM FRANCE WITH EXPOSED INTERNAL LIVING CHAMBER France EARLY JURASSIC PERIOD (LIAS): 206 - 180 million years ago VERY rare in this size, this massive Arietites bucklandi ammonite sports a natural black shell hue and some of the most impressively preserved chamber ridges of even much smaller examples. Specimens of this size are NOT common and extensively restored or even completely fabricated specimens have surfaced at an increased rate in the market in the last 5 years. Ammonites like these are not commercially mined so their scarcity is not only due to true rarity but also to the lack of any large scale efforts compared to mass-marketed and produced ammonites from Russia, Madagascar and Morocco. Most private collections lack examples of this size and quality and every advanced collection should include at least one large single example when the rare opportunity comes along such as in this case! Contrary to popular tricks of leaving extra matrix on the ammonite and polishing that portion to artificially boost the size and hence, value, this specimen has the last, main chamber prepared in a split, open manner. This reveals rare internal structure. The shell keel can be seen running completely to the end of this lighter gray rock proving this is not matrix but truly part of the body and shell of the ammonite. Another rare feature is the fact that when this RARE giant ammonite was collected, it was done so with none of the typical breakage so the entire ammonite is INTACT with NO REPAIR. As the original creature was buried laying down and compressed, having been buried in a mass death event, the back side shows a multitude of smaller Arietites fossil ammonites attached to the matrix on the reverse side. For the advanced collector or for anyone who values such an extreme ammonite rarity and wishes to house a large and genuine, massive specimen for an unforgettable display.
Ammonites varied greatly in size.
The largest
known
as small
as 2 cm (0.75 in) in diameter. During the Jurassic and Cretaceous
periods, ammonites evolved more streamlined shells for swimming and the
structure of the shell became stronger. Different shell shapes emerged
as well, such as snail-like or uncoiled. The shells of
ammonites
had hollow chambers separated by walls called septa. A tube called the siphuncle,
Ammonites probably lived for one to six years, with the majority living two to four years. They fed on plankton (tiny free-floating organisms), sea lilies, and smaller orthoceras. Although many fed off the ocean floor, others may have caught plankton while floating or swimming via jet propulsion, expelling water through a funnel-like opening to propel themselves in the opposite direction. Because ammonites lived exclusively in marine environments, their presence also indicates the location of prehistoric seas. INCREDIBLY RARE - GIANT WITH MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURAL COLOR / PRESERVATION - RARE INTERNAL DETAIL! 18" across SOLD AMX-100 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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3495 |
