(3) Ancient Ammonite Fossil Shells. Includes an Ancilocona in a rectangular polished base made from the rock it hardened within, a Platicona turned to limestone on a limestone stand, and a cross-cut highly-whorled Cleoniceras, all from Morocco. 

Largest Size: 6 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 3/4 in. 

Ammonites were a diverse group of predatory marine cephalopods with coiled, chambered shells that went extinct roughly 66 million years ago, around the same time as the dinosaurs. Ranging from 1 inch to over 9 feet in diameter, they lived in all depths of ancient oceans, using buoyancy control similar to modern nautilus. The earliest appeared during the Emsian stage of the Early Devonian Period, around 409 million years ago, and at their height over 200 species simultaneously coexisted, with some 10,000 identified in all. Today, their fossils are highly prized by collectors for their intricate shapes and the myriad of information they have taught us about the evolution of sealife on this planet. 

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