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Ammonites
Click here for more Ammonite Pictures
| Scientific Classification |
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Ammonites are an extinct group of cephalopod molluscs that lived in
marine environments. They first appeared in the Late Silurian
or Early Devonian (about 400 million years ago), and went extinct
at the end of the
Cretaceous period
(about 65 million years ago), during the
Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction.
Although they outwardly physically resemble the modern Nautilus, Ammonites
are actually believed to be more closely related to cuttlefish, octopi,
and squid.
Ammonite
fossils are often (but not
always) a distinctive flattened spiral coil with visible ribs, although there
are species with unusual coil shapes, partially coiled shells, and even
uncoiled shells.
Most Ammonites are quite small, perhaps 9 inches (23 centimeters) or less
in diameter - there are however some larger types, for example
Parapuzosia seppenradensis which is found in
Cretaceous
rocks from
Germany
is sometimes upto 6½ feet (2 meters) in diameter,
Fossils, Ammonites
Photographic Print
Waltham, Tony
Buy at AllPosters.com
Ammonite fossils have been known
since ancient times:
- The Roman author, Pliny the Elder (23 to 79) called the
fossils,
the "horns of Ammon", because he thought that they resembled
the ram's horns which the Egyptian god Ammon was depicted with.
- In medieval times, Ammonites were often thought to be petrified snakes,
and were often called "snake stones" or
"serpent stones". The supposed petrification was usually ascribed to
the actions of saints such as Saint Patrick (who was said to have driven the snakes
out of Ireland).
- In India, Ammonites were sometimes regarded as symbols of the god Vishnu,
and were kept in temples.
Today, modern scientists often use Ammonites and Amminoids
as "index fossils"
(fossils which are used to help
date the rocks that they are found in), particularly for
Mesozoic Era rocks. This
is possible because these fossils
are relatively abundant in rocks,
are widely distributed, and because different species evolved and went
extinct in rapid succession - thus the presence of a particular species
is indicative of rocks being formed in a particular time period.
Ammonites were cephalopod molluscs that lived in the seas between 400 and 65 million years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Ammonite Pictures and Posters
by AllPosters
Here are some Ammonite pictures and posters:
(Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by AllPosters. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website).
Fossils, Ammonites
24" X 18"
Photographic Print
Artist: Tony Waltham.
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Ammonite in Rock, with Human Hand for Scale, Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, United Kingdom
24" X 18"
Photographic Print
Artist: Cyndy Black.
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An Ammonite Fossil on a Forest Path Attests to Cubas Submarine Past
24" X 18"
Photographic Print
Artist: Steve Winter.
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Fossils, Ammonites
48.75" X 38.75"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Tony Waltham.
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Fossils, Ammonites
38.875" X 30.875"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Tony Waltham.
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Fossils, Ammonites
21.6875" X 17.6875"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Tony Waltham.
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Fossils, Ammonites
30.625" X 24.625"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Tony Waltham.
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An ammonite fossil on a forest path attests to Cubas submarine past
48.75" X 38.75"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Steve Winter.
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An ammonite fossil on a forest path attests to Cubas submarine past
38.875" X 30.875"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Steve Winter.
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An ammonite fossil on a forest path attests to Cubas submarine past
21.6875" X 17.6875"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Steve Winter.
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An ammonite fossil on a forest path attests to Cubas submarine past
30.625" X 24.625"
Framed Art Print
Artist: Steve Winter.
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Ammonite Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Neil L. Larson & R. A. Farrar
Geoscience Press
Paperback (148 pages)
 | List Price: $18.00*
Lowest New Price: $32.00*
Lowest Used Price: $28.00*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Neale Monks
Smithsonian
Paperback (176 pages)
 | List Price: $24.95*
Lowest New Price: $14.35*
Lowest Used Price: $10.21*
Usually ships in 24 hours*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
The beautiful spiral shells of these long-extinct marine invertebrates are among the most sought after and recognizable of fossils, yet little has been published about ammonites outside of geological journals. Neale Monks and Philip Palmer look at the latest ideas on ammonite biology and ecology to present this detailed picture of a once diverse and widespread group of animals. |
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By Sydney Savory Buckman
General Books LLC
Paperback (92 pages)
 | List Price: $17.50*
Lowest New Price: $17.50*
Lowest Used Price: $39.98*
Usually ships in 24 hours*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
Title: Yorkshire Type Ammonites : the Original Descriptions Reprinted, and Illustrated by Figures of the Types, Reproduced From Photographs Mainly by J.w. Tutcher Volume: 1 Publisher: London W. Wesley Publication date: 1909 Subjects: Ammonoidea Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. |
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By W. K. Christensen & W. J. Kennedy
Wiley-Blackwell
Paperback (128 pages)
 | List Price: $44.99*
Lowest New Price: $39.06*
Lowest Used Price: $38.97*
Usually ships in 24 hours*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here |
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By Caitlin R. Kiernan
Subterranean
Hardcover (240 pages)
| List Price: $25.00*
Lowest New Price: $25.00*
Not yet published*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
In CaitlÃn R. Kiernan's The Ammonite Violin & Others, one of contemporary dark fantasy s most bewitching and distinctive voices is back with another banquet of the weird and unexpected. In his introduction, Jeff VanderMeer (City of Saints and Madmen, Finch) writes, Kiernan creates her own light in this remarkable collection, and shines it on dark places. In doing so, she gives us gritty, lyrical, horrible, beautiful truths.
In The Ammonite Violin & Others, the author rises to meet the high expectations she set with such collections as Tales of Pain and Wonder, A is for Alien, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated To Charles Fort, With Love. Within these pages, you ll discover a dazzling suite of stories situated on the borderlands between the unspeakbale and the erotic, the grotesque and the sublime. Here are stories of dream and metamorphosis, strange lands and beings existing beyond the veil of death and beyond this earth. Here is a selkie who's lost her sealskin, a woman with a blackhole in her heart, a fairie girl fallen to the Queen of Decay, the descent of a modern-day Orpheus, and a killer who has fashioned the most exquisite musical instrument from the remains of one of his victims. Here are dreams, nightmares, and worse things yet.
The Ammonite Violin & Others is comprised of stories first published in the subscription only Sirenia Digest, run by Caitlin for her most devoted readers. This publication marks the stories' first availability to the general public. |
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By Ulrich Lehmann
Cambridge University Press
Hardcover (252 pages)
| List Price: $27.95*
Lowest Used Price: $175.95*
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By Neal L. Larson & Robert A. Farrar
Geoscience Press
Hardcover
| Lowest New Price: $35.00*
Lowest Used Price: $34.99*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
"Ammonites are extinct marine animals related to present day squid, octopi and chambered nautilus. They have been collected and prized for centuries, yet they often remain unidentified in many collections due to a lack of published information. Ammonites and the Other Cephalopods of the Pierre Seaway will change that. This work is written for general understanding and consolidates the latest cephalopod information available in technical journals. The book includes easily understood descriptions of over 90 species, 32 genera, and 13 families of cephalopods that lived for about 12 million years in the Pierre Seaway, which extended through the interior of North America connecting the Arctic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico." |
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By G. R. Chancellor
Paleontological Assn
Hardcover (118 pages)
| List Price: $94.95*
Lowest Used Price: $124.46*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
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By Neal L. Larson
Geofin Publishing House
Paperback
| Lowest New Price: $19.00*
Lowest Used Price: $79.17*
*(As of 07:18 Pacific 8 Feb 2010 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
A small pocket book about Ammonites. They have been found on every continent of the earth and are among the most useful and important fossils gologists and paleontologists can find. Come and explore the wonderful world of ammonites and discover how they lived, how they were shaped, and what finally became of these amazing and mysterious animals. |
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