Authentic orthoceras fossil in marble stone, devonian, uk seller

All of our Fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens & come with a Certificate of Authenticity

**Please note: Some fossils maybe propped up for photo purposes**

Specimen: Orthoceras

Age: Devonian

Location Found: Erfoud, Sahara Desert, Morocco

Size (picture scale cube=1cm):  26 x 9 x 34mm (1.02 x 0.35 x 1.34 inches)

Cube = 1cm square

Orthoceras, meaning “Straight Horn”, was a mollusc that lived more than 400 million years ago. Its name refers to the characteristic long, straight, conical shell these marine animals possessed. The soft body lived in the last open-ended segment at the large end of the conical shell, the preserved fossilised shell is all that remains of this ancestor of our modern-day squid. As the body grew and the housing segment became too small, a dividing wall, called the septa, grew to separate the old “home chamber” from the new one. The siphuncle is a tube that runs the entire length of the shell, through each of the chambers. In life the animal could adjust the gas pressure in these chambers and so move up and down through the water. An open chamber at the front of the shell provided living space for the animal where, if felt threatened, it could release a jet of water propelling itself backwards which would have served as a very quick retreat!

**The image shows the ACTUAL specimen you will receive**

**Please note the following:

1) This items picture will change once we update the listing to a new replacement specimen after this specific item has been sold, this action will cause the picture in your purchase history to also change to the new image.

2) The picture will also change if you’ve had the item in your basket for a while and someone else buys it during that period (having items stored in your basket does not remove that listing from the view of other customers, meaning it will still be active on eBay).

3) We would suggest saving, or taking a screenshot of the items image as soon as you have purchased it for your own records of comparison for once the item has been received in the post. We also keep a record of every image we upload.