This large Placenticeras costatum specimen is a breathtaking example of the world renowned iridescent ammonites from Canada - its shell is preserved with bright ammolite, inlcuding prominent sections of blue/violet on both sides (the rarest and most desired colours of ammolite).
The blue/violet coloration is more vivid than what is typically seen in these specimens; moreover, the shell is especially robust (uncompressed). An extremely special piece on all accounts!
Ammolite is a rare, opal-like gemstone found in Alberta's Upper Cretaceous Bearpaw formation, just east of the Rocky Mountains.
- Government Registration number: 6(1384)
- Size: Approximately 19" / 48 cm in diameter
- Deposit: Bearpaw Formation
- Location: Southern Alberta, Canada
- Age: Late Cretaceous (71 million years old)
- Certificate of authenticity included
- Can be shipped internationally
- Custom display stand included
for more information.
Ammonites belong to the Mollusca Phylum in a Class known as Cephalopods – “head-footed” creatures such as octopus and squid. They swam in ancient oceans from 400 million years ago, to their extinction, along with the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.
Ammonites were free floating invertebrates that were attacked by plesiosaurs and mosasaurs, two groups of gigantic marine reptiles. One way that ammonites could avoid an attack was to quickly change their buoyancy levels, zig zagging and sinking rapidly.
These incredible prehistoric animals ranged in size from tiny species only a few centimetres in diameter to the monstrous Cretaceous ammonite, Parapuzosia seppenradensis, which grew to about 3 meters and would probably weigh close to 1500 kilograms!
