White Ammonite

This decorative ammonite fossil (Perisphinctes) dates back to the Late Jurassic (160 million years old) and was collected near Sakaraha in Southwestern Madagascar. A gorgeous piece of natural history, it makes a great gift for fossil, mineral, and science enthusiasts or someone simply looking for a beautiful display piece. Ammonites have intrigued and fascinated humans for thousands of years. Many cultures - from Australian aboriginals to the ancient Egyptians - collected and treasured these prehistoric and beautiful fossils. Perhaps it has something to do with the Fibonacci spiral pattern of their shell, which mirrors the galaxies. Ammonites belong to the mollusca phylum in a class known as cephalopods – “head-footed” creatures such as octopus and squid. They swam in ancient oceans from the Devonian Period, about 400 million years ago, to their extinction along with the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous Period, 65 million years ago.