Description
Ammonite titanites giganteus from Portland Dorset
This large titanites giganteus ammonite is from the Portland freestone and is an excellent example. This ammonite dates back to the upper jurassic period and is approximately 150 million years old. Specimens like this are very difficult to obtain these days and this one was collected approximately 25 years ago. The difficulties in obtaining these large Portland ammonites is largely due to the fact that modern quarrying methods often result in severe damage to any fossils that happen to be present in the limestone beds. Years ago these large ammonites were frequently seen in the gardens or built into the walls of cottages in the Portland or Purbeck regions of Dorset. These cottages were often the homes of quarrymen or stonemasons. Due to the weight (approximately 35 kilos) this ammonite is for collection only from our workshop in West Dorset.
Ammonites have been extinct for 65 million years. They are a form of Cephalopod, a group of marine molluscs. These first appeared in the Devonian Period, over 4oo million years ago. As the ammonite grew it added new chambers to the shell, the actual ammonite only living in new and largest chamber. The name Ammonite, derives from from ‘Ammon’ the Greek God. Ammonites were plankton feeders, they also had long tentacles, and swam upright. Altogether, there were in the region of ten thousand different species. Ammonites became extinct 65 million years ago, which was also around the same time as the dinosaurs. The squid and octopus that swim in our seas now however, are closely related. Back to Jurassic Coast Fossils
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