Decorative Madagascar Nautiloid Fossil Cymatocerasa

Description: This is a large and beautifully colored polished Nautiloid species. Note the simple suture (growth lines). The colors range in gradation from off-white to amber and browns. Both sides are equally displayable. This specimen would make a perfect display or decorative piece.

This fine nautiloid is a Cymatoceras from Madagascar which 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 which 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 is sure to be an integral part of any collection.