PLEUROSAUR

This large, rare aquatic reptile recently and immaculately prepared is completely original.

"Pleurosaurus goldfussi"
Jurassic Period
Solnhofen, Eichstatt, Germany
Matrix: 71" x 51"
$75,000

JURASSIC RAY

Jurassic rays are extremely rare. They are also much prized for their natural beauty. It is not hard to imagine that the ancestors of today’s rays burrowed into the bottom and swam in a Jurassic sea feeding on shrimp and mollusks. The coloration is natural and restoration is limited to one myxopterygia "clasper". The preparation of this cartilaginous fish has exposed unique features that along with its size make it one of the most important specimens in the world.

SpathobatisBurgesiacus (former taxon: Aellopos)
Late Jurassic Period – approx. 170 million years old
Solnhofen, Germany
Matrix: 79”x 42” 200cm x 106cm
Specimen: 64.5”x 26” 164cm x 66cm
Recessed cleats on the back enable wall mounting.
$155,000

The only vertebrates to achieve flight are bats, birds and Pterosaurs. Pterosaurs were the first – over 200 million years ago. These rare flying reptiles became extinct 65 million years ago. The most distinctive features are the wings, the tail and the long jaw with pronounced front teeth. “Dorygnathus” means “spear jaw” due to the shape of the pointed jaw that was well designed to catch fish from the waters of the Upper Liassic Sea. Hollow boned, probably warm blooded and egg-laying, they were intelligent flying animals with behavior patterns similar to today’s birds. The first Pterosaur fossils were discovered in Southern Germany in the 18th Century. During their 150 million year evolution they lived on all continents except Antarctica.


Dorygnathus benthensis
Lower Jurassic Period
Upper Lias of Holzmaden
Wurthemberg, Germany
Height: 56cm/22”  Width: 46cm/18”
SOLD

HOLZMADEN CRINOID This elegant crinoid stands nearly six feet tall. Commonly called “sea lilies”, crinoids were animals that were part of a large group of marine invertebrates known as echinoderms that includes starfish and sea urchins. This specimen is attached to a piece of Jurassic wood and prepared by the finest experts in Germany.This original fossil was assembled in native shale. Crinoids from the Holzmaden shales are one of the most sought after fossils and have become even more difficult to find.

Seirocrinus subsingularis
Jurassic Period – approx 170 million years old
Liss Epsilon
Poseidon Shale, Holzmaden, Germany
Matrix: 69” x 38”
Recessed cleats on the back enable wall mounting.
$54,000

Lepidotus sp
Jurassic Period – approx. 180 million years old
Holzmaden, Germany
Matrix: 60”x 45”
Specimen: 32”x 12”
$75,000

This is a rare example of an amphibian from the Permian swamps of what is now southern Germany.
It has yet to be classified, making it the only example of its kind.  Years of preparation went into preserving the extraordinary detail and three-dimensional presentation of the body, appendages and head. The displacement of the lower jaw exposes the often hidden teeth. The plates of the head retain the original distinct texture of the bone and eye orbits.

This specimen was discovered before the permanent prohibition of fossil collecting in this region. The degree and the quality of the fossil preservation alone make this among the finest examples of an extremely rare specimen. The matrix has been reinforced and the fossil has been stabilized to meet museum standards.

Sclerocephalus sp.
Further classification pending. Permian Period – approx. 280 million years old
Holzmaden, Germany
Matrix: 37” x 23”
Specimen: 28” long
$65,000

Resembling the modern parrot fish, this Gyrodus circularis is one of the largest and finest specimens available. This complete and remarkably preserved Moon Fish shows exceptional preservation of all of its large diamond-shaped scales. The teeth in its upper and lower jaws are rounded and uniquely three-dimensional in this very large specimen. These teeth are adapted for chewing coral and crushing shells. Its body is very thin and disc-shaped enabling the fish to maneuver between the coral branches of the Jurassic sea. The Solnhofen lithographic limestone provides the best quality fossil preservation anywhere.

Gyrodus circularis
Late Jurassic Period – approx. 170 million years old
Malm zeta
Solnhofen lithographic limestone, Eichstatt, Germany
Matrix: 48.5” x 34.5” Specimen: 32” x 26”
In a Private Collection

DRAGON FLY

This dragonfly is one of the best examples of fossils found in Solnhofen. The fine-grained lithographic limestone of this locale preserves unmatched fossil detail as seen in the delicacy of the wings and long body of this dramatic and rare specimen.

Aeschnogomphus
Late Jurassic – approx. 170 million years old
Malm epsilon
Solnhofen Limestone, Eichstatt, Bavaria, Germany
Matrix: 18” x 18.5”
Specimen: 7” wingspan, 5” body length

SHRIMP

HORSESHOE CRAB

HC1 Mesolimulus walchi
Jurassic Period, Malm Zeta
Solnhofen, Eichstatt, Germany
Matrix W 8.5” x H 7”
$800