Huge Iridescent Cymatoceras Nautiloid Fossil

Description: This is a maximum sized and beautifully colored polished nautiloid specimen. Making it truly fascinating are the gracefully curved iridescent highlights covering the complete body. These red and green colors are deeply imbedded in the shell. It’s the first nautiloid I have encountered with iridescence. Note the simple suture (growth lines). The base colors are monochromatic and range in gradation from off-white to honey ambers and browns. This specimen would make an impressive display or decorative piece. It weighs in at a solid, heavy, 4 lbs. 4 oz.

This fine nautiloid is a Cymatoceras from Madagascar. It is free of matrix. This allows you the opportunity to view this fine, robust specimen from all aspects. It has been polished to bring out the fine details. The primitive suturing pattern distinguishes these cephalopods from the ammonites. The Nautilida have a rich evolutionary history that began in the early Devonian. The order suffered a drastic decline in the late Devonian, only to have an extensive radiation in the Carboniferous. They suffered less than some other orders at the end of the Permian, and did better than the ammonites by surviving the Cretaceous extinction, leaving one descendant, the modern-day Nautilus. This is a stunning example of a nautiloid from the Albian (112 m.y.a) deposits of Madagascar, one that that would surely compliment any collection.