Slab with Dapedium sp., Lytoceras sp., Belemnite

This layered rock slab is 180-million-year-old stretch of the seafloor. It contains three fossils at once: the huge ammonite Lytoceras siemens, the belemnite Passaloteuthis paxillosus, and the fish Dapedium sp.

The famous Holzmaden oil shale in southern Germany is the place where it was found. Here, more than a hundred years ago, during the extraction of bitumen, the fossilized remains of ancient animals were discovered: ichthyosaurs, ammonites, crocodiles, sea lilies. Since 1937, there has been a private Hauff Museum in Holzmaden, famous for its gorgeous exhibits and one of the best schools for dissecting fossils.

The inhabitants of the sea, which Europe in the Jurassic era are very well preserved in shale due to the pyrite contained in the rock. It is the shale that creates the metallic sheen on the rock slab and the fossils themselves. Ammonite and belemnite are fully pyritized and have golden tones in their color. The fish is perfectly preserved, from scales and bones in the fins to small teeth. There are minor damages on the tail of the fish, almost imperceptible when viewed. The rest of the fossils are in perfect condition and ready to take their rightful place in your collection.