UPPER JURASSIC PERIOD (MALM): 154 - 144 million years ago Coming from the Jurassic rocks of the Central Carpathian Mountains in Romania, this immensely impressive gastropod fossil is of the highest quality from a non-commercially worked site. This large example of a Mesogastropod features a warm cream hue to the solid rock preservation of its shell. Matrix has been removed off all sides for a stunning three dimensional display. Every part of this specimen is AAA grade with perfect intactness to its complete whorl and surface. Gastropods are a type of mollusks called univalves. They are the largest and most successful class of mollusks and can be found in both underwater (both marine and freshwater) and land environments. Most species have shells, carrying their home with them. While most have coiled shells, some species have non-coiled shells or no shell at all. This shell is made up of lime and is secreted by the animal from a part of their soft bodies called a mantle. Gastropods have bodies that are soft made up of a large flat mucus-covered foot on which the animal slowly glides, and a head with eyes, tentacles and mouth. The mouth includes a lower jaw with tiny rasping teeth. Some gastropods are carnivorous and some are herbivorous. The ones that are carnivorous use these teeth to drill a hole in their victims shell to allow the gastropod to eat the soft flesh within. The herbivorous types use these teeth to scrape plant matter off of a substrate. Despite the fact that gastropods mate, most are hermaphroditic (having both male and female organs). Gastropods first emerged in the fossil record during the Cambrian Period 545 million years ago. They increased with great diversity during the Carboniferous Period 354 million years ago. During the mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period 251 million years ago most died out but some survived and began to diversify again and survive until today. In many cases, gastropods have become a dominant organism in most of their typical environments. From the Jurassic, one of the golden eras of some of the largest dinosaurs and prehistoric marine creatures, this is a highly unusual gastropod fossil of both substantial size and exceptional form. Rare and uncommon provenance (Carpathian Mountains - Romania) makes this a must have for all fanciers of exclusive and exotic fossil specimens. Overall : Weight : 50.92 gm Size: 5.5X4X3.5 cm
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:25:19 +0000
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