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Product Description
ITEM #
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SQ003
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ID
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Plesioteuthis sp.
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FOUND
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Solnhofen Plattenkalk - Eichstatt, Germany
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AGE
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JURASSIC: 150 million years ago
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SIZE
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28" x 20.5" overall, squid 11.75" long
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CONDITION
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AMAZINGLY, NO REPAIR - NO RESTORATION
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NOTE
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STUNNING SPECIMEN - GREAT FOR INTERIOR
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Actual Item - One Only
Comes with a certificate of authenticity / information sheet |
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SQUID
This is a spectacular, museum-class fossil specimen that will surely make for a memorable interior display, accent specimen. This is a fossil of the Jurassic squid Plesioteuthis. Its rare features include an unusually large overall size, very rare red pigmentation and large calcite crystal preservation within certain anatomy. Specimens like this are very scarce in today's market and most often, when one becomes available, it is from an old collection. The majority of Solnhofen squid fossils are difficult to see with not much NATURALLY-OCCURRING contrasting pigment in the fossil to make it visible against the matrix. This is the first time we have seen a pigment of this color and seeing it in person is much more impressive. A remarkable brick red coloration dominates much of the squid body, mixed with regions of gold and orange. The photos show the internal structures of this very large Plesioteuthis squid, perfectly preserved in the limestone. Soft tissue is rarely fossilized of any animal but here, you can see the outline of the entire body of the creature. The cuttlebone has left an exquisite impression and a rare presence of a well-inflated ink sac, which has turned to very large white calcite crystals peaking up through the surface of the stone. Where the tentacles were at the mouth, you can also see a deep region of heavy, large calcite crystals where this soft tissue once was. Since squid are mostly made up of soft tissue, only the internal bullet-shaped skeleton is found. Very uncommon for old collection Solnhofen material where the limestone plate is trimmed close near the fossil, the slab this squid fossil is on is very large and makes this a perfect candidate for an interior design accent. LIMESTONE SLAB IS INTACT AND UNBROKEN. Squid is in the finest preservation and is 100% NATURAL, COMPLETE AND WITH NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. Like snowflakes, natural radial dendrites adorn the limestone plate and make interesting mineral accents to this splendid squid fossil specimen.
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.
