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Product Description
This is a true museum-class Lumbricaria intestinum TRACE FOSSIL specimen of what is believed to be a coprolite from a squid based on the anatomy of modern coprolites from octopi. This FINEST grade specimen is complete with BOTH the positive and negative fossil plates, unbroken and with a well-centered fossil. The fossil is solid calcite and shows wonderful preservation!!! A perfect candidate for public display and to accompany a squid fossil from the same deposit and period.
HISTORY
Famous for producing an astonishing diversity of rare and most intricately preserved fossils found anywhere in the world, the Jurassic lithographic limestone deposits of southern Germany are legendary. Quarries in the region are privately held and mostly worked by hand on a small scale. The finest grade fossils are few and far between and much rock must be split to locate them. The best fossils are most often kept by the quarry owners who themselves, are often collectors. Some quarries are operated on a large scale but these are now dug with machinery instead of manual labor. Because of this the rock is damaged and along with it, the rare fossils. What all this means today is that even fewer fine grade Solnhofen fossils are found and when they are, rarely do the best pieces make it to market. Occasionally, an old private collection surfaces and specimens are sold or traded. This is where the rare opportunity comes along to acquire a specimen on a level that truly is a prize find. Typically, the older material is often the best as it was collected when the deposits were first being worked and quality was in greater abundance.