Opalescent cleoniceras ammonites excavated from the Mahajanga jungle in Madagascar, have been prepared for interior display in the UK laboratory. Each ammonite has been prepared using micro pneumatic equipment to remove the surrounding matrix (fossil rock), revealing the centre of the umbilicus shell. Showcasing attractive arrays of vivid colours throughout the nacre of the shell, consistent with bright blue, glaucous greens and striking highlights of scarlet red transitioning throughout to the keel of the ammonite.
Rare colours found in specimens are maize yellow, amber, blue, glaucous, cerulean, purple, lavender, scarlet red, coral pink and lavender pink. To find the best Cleoniceras specimen for your collection, friend or loved one, you should start looking at the aesthetics. Make sure it is symmetrical, look for flaws on the shells surface, usually these will develop as chips or even filler, large specimens are prone to these anomalies, sometimes these are badly prepared or of a very low grade. Next the colouration, is it vibrant, does it reflect in low light, getting the best out of a fairly dull specimen, angled photographs in dark light using florescent lights can achieve a sellers desired perspective. One needs to see consistency when looking to buy online and make sure the photographer has caught true reflections of light using standard white lights. In our photography no flash is used therefore one can gain a true likeness of how the ammonite displays and will display in your collection.
Ammonites are part of the Ammonitida of marine invertebrates. These were fascinating creatures from the deep oceans and believed to be aggressive creatures like squids today. With extremely large eyes and remarkable vision they could easily hunt on their prey at great depths where little or no light penetrates the deep oceans. The Cephalopod would attain its prey using their long tentacles, prey such as other crustaceans and fish, much as the persisting modern day Nautilus Pompilius which can be found in the Pacific today.
A few years ago off the Great Barrier Reef at depths between 200 to 400 meters, sightings of the Nautilus Pompilius were made, showing the pressures these Cephalopods can attain. The Ammonites extinction is dated around 74 million years, pre the great mass extinction of around 65 million years. Ammonites are important index fossils, it is often possible to link the sediment layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods. The largest ammonite to date is around 2.5 meters in diameter from Germany.