History of Science & Technology, Including the World of Richard Feynman, and Natural History
History of Science & Technology, Including the World of Richard Feynman, and Natural History
Large Kranaosphinctes Ammonite
Late Jurassic Period (approx. 160 million years ago), Madagascar
No reserve
Lot Closed
December 13, 07:32 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Large Kranaosphinctes Ammonite
Kranaosphinctes rabei
Late Jurassic Period (approx. 160 million years ago)
Madagascar
20 x 17½ x 8 inches (50.8 x 44.5 x 20.3 cm), 24 inches (61 cm) on custom stand. 105 pounds (47.6 kg). A large individual with robust ribbing on its shell. This is an intact well-preserved example of its species, highlighted with a cream and brown-colored patina.
While dinosaurs ruled the land during the Late Jurassic, the ammonite genus Kranaosphinctes could be found flourishing in the oceans.
Ammonites were a type of cephalopod — the taxonomic class that includes today's nautilus, octopus, and squid. Much like a submarine, ammonites employed gas- and liquid- filled chambers to regulate their position in the water column. The animal itself lived only in the outermost compartment, employing its tubular siphuncle to connect its chambers along the shell's ventral surface.