Exquisite Heteromorph Ammonite on Base

Exquisite Heteromorph Ammonite on Base
Didymoceras nebrascenense
Late Cretaceous
Pierre Shale Formation, Southwestern South Dakota
Because these uncommon specimens cannot be commercially collected (and are only rarely found by excavators as shale nodules are opened in the search for more common fossils) Didymoceras specimens are perhaps the most desired ammonites in the world. The bizarre shapes of the coprolitic heteromorph (meaning loosely coiled) ammonites have inspired the imaginations of ammonite collectors the world over. This excellent 70-million-year-old example has been painstakingly freed from its surrounding rock matrix revealing a dark honey to pearlized white iridescent shell. This specimen was prepared by Neal Larson and is offered on a natural wood base. Measuring 8 x 5 ¾ x 5 1/2in