3.4" Mammites Nodosoides Ammonite Fossil Shell Upper Cretaceous Age Morocco

Location: Jbel Toubkal, Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Weight: 11.5 Ounces

Dimension: 3.4 Inches Long, 2.8 Inches Wide, 1.7 Inches Thick

This is a real fossil

Upper Cretaceous, 80 Million Years Old

The items pictured are the ones you will receive. 

Mammites Nodosoides Ammonite

Ammonites are an extinct group of marine animals that belong to the subclass Ammonoidea, which is part of the class Cephalopoda. They thrived during the Mesozoic era, particularly in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which spanned approximately 140 million years, from about 201 million years ago to their extinction around 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period. This extinction event coincided with the demise of the dinosaurs and was likely caused by a combination of catastrophic environmental changes, including a significant asteroid impact.

Ammonites are easily recognized by their distinctive coiled shells, which varied widely in size, shape, and ornamentation. These shells were divided into multiple chambers separated by thin walls called septa. The living ammonite resided only in the outermost body chamber, while the inner chambers were filled with gas or fluid to help regulate buoyancy, allowing the animal to move effortlessly through the ancient seas. The intricate suture patterns—formed where the septa met the shell wall—are key identifiers used by paleontologists to classify ammonite species and trace their evolutionary history.

Beyond structure, the ammonite shell played vital roles in protection and flotation, acting as both a shield from predators and a sophisticated buoyancy device.

Ammonites were carnivorous, preying on small plankton, crustaceans, and possibly even other ammonites. Equipped with tentacle-like arms and sharp beak-like jaws similar to modern squid and octopuses, they were active predators of their time. Fossil evidence suggests they were fast, agile swimmers, thriving mainly in warm, shallow marine environments rather than the deep ocean.

The evolutionary history of ammonites reveals an extraordinary level of diversity and adaptability. Over 10,000 species have been identified from fossil discoveries worldwide, showcasing their widespread success across ancient oceans. Because ammonites evolved rapidly and had distinct species over short geological time spans, they serve as excellent index fossils, allowing geologists to date and correlate rock layers with high precision.

Ammonites are thought to have evolved from straight-shelled nautiloids during the Devonian period. Over millions of years, they underwent significant morphological transformations, developing more intricate shell designs and complex suture patterns that enhanced buoyancy and structural strength. These adaptations helped them thrive across a range of marine environments and survive several mass extinction events, including the catastrophic Permian-Triassic extinction—the largest in Earth’s history.

However, their resilience came to an end during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event, about 66 million years ago, the same event that wiped out the dinosaurs. The likely cause was a massive asteroid impact, which triggered global climate upheavals and marine food chain collapses, ultimately leading to the extinction of ammonites and many other marine species.