SUPER RARE GIANT SQUID FOSSIL WITH AMMONITES ON GERMAN BLACK JURASSIC SHALE

Holzmaden Black Shale Formation (Lias Epsilon) - Stuttgart, Germany

JURASSIC PERIOD:  200 million years ago

From the world-renown Black Jurassic oil-bearing shale of Holzmaden, Germany comes this MONSTROUS and exquisitely preserved GIANT SQUID fossil found amidst dense ammonite death assemblage of Dactylioceras ammonites.  This is the first Giant Squid fossil of ANY type we have ever encountered and is the first specimen we have handled from this formation.  The photos cannot fully show that this is a 3D POSITIVE impression, rising up from the rock and is pyritized like the plethora of ammonites surrounding it.  As large as it is and being a partial impression of the entire body of the animal, one can see how monstrous this squid must have been.  Fascinating, rare detail can be seen on the surface of the fossil.  The rarity of this amazing specimen is immeasurable.  We recently purchased the entire remaining stock of a closed quarry and this was the ONLY specimen ever found like it!!!  Specimens like this are now becoming quite rare as almost all quarrying operations in the formation have ceased.  It is likely, Holzmaden fossils of exceptional quality like this breath-taking example will appreciate in the future as demand far outstrips supply.  Holzmaden is a highly unique formation, famous for producing some of the world's finest Jurassic marine life fossils.  Modern quarry efforts have failed to produce many specimens like this that were once found in greater frequency years ago.  If you are an advanced fossil collector this is one of the rarest possible giant squid / ammonite specimens from one of the world's most coveted Jurassic provenances.  Alive today but extremely mysterious and elusive, the GIANT SQUID is a rare sighting as it is a deep-water creature.  ANY evidence of this legendary monster of the deep, either modern or fossil, is truly a prize for fanciers of marine life.  Prehistoric Giant Squid remains are extraordinary exhibition pieces and to have one with associated marine life makes this an especially prize find, indeed!  This specimen poses a VERY UNIQUE opportunity to acquire an otherwise true museum collection piece.  The slab has been chemically sealed to protect and permanently stabilize the rare fossils and the pyritized features.  NO RESTORATION OR FABRICATION. 

Squid belong to the family of invertebrates called CEPHALOPODS.  Modern members include the nautilus, squid and octopus.  They first appeared during the Silurian Period (435 million to 410 million years ago) and were abundant and widespread in the seas of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (175 million to 65 million years ago).  Cephalopods are important index fossils — that is, they often link the rock layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods.  Squid and cuttlefish fossils are rare.  Impressions of their internal skeletons are all that are usually found preserved.  In rare instances, soft body parts and tissue are found preserved, and even more rarely, the ink sac. 

Modern squid and cuttlefish most likely can be equated with their prehistoric cousins.  Extant species have some of the most highly developed nervous systems amongst all invertebrates.  They are extremely adept at both evading predators and hunting prey on their own.  Their stream-lined bodies are equipped with side fins that enable them to steer when moving.  Some squid possess an ink sac which is used at the most strategic moment when pursued by a predator in order to confuse and escape imminent danger.

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