Recent cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, octopuses, nautiluses and their relatives) are with no doubt fascinating animals.
Examples of Recent cephalopods (from upper left to lower right corner): Bobtail Squid (Heteroteuthis dispar), Glass Squid (family Cranchiidae), pelagic octopus, Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius), Fire Squid (Pyroteuthis margaritifera), Enope Squid (Abraliopsis), two cuttlefishes (Sepia officinalis), Octopus (Octopus vulgaris).
As you know, there are
many fossil groups of cephalopods too, e. g. the ammonites
– cephalopods with beautifully sculptured outer shells, which you can find
as fossils all over the world.
But did you know that only
in Northern America you can find a very special (and still partly unexplained)
fossilization type of the mother-of-pearl layer of the shells of the ammonite
Placenticeras
meeki/intercalare called "Ammolite",
which refracts the sunlight so intense into all colours of the rainbow
that it is used as a precious gemstone locally since a very long time?
Now you can get your
own pieces of the "rainbow stone" Ammolite
(or even whole ammonites covered all over with Ammolite), which is found
in the Black Bearpaw Shales of Southern Alberta, Canada, and is supplied
in a wide variety by the friendly people of Bearpaw
Ammonites & Ammolite!
Visit their site at www.ammonite.com
or contact them directly!
Pictures of Placenticeras © Tom Dryden. Last modified: 20.01.02.