British Chalk Belemnite – Belemnitella mucronata – Santonian, Cretaceous – Weybourne, Norfolk, UK – Authentic Fossil with Certificate

Description

British Chalk Belemnite – Belemnitella mucronata

Santonian Stage, Late Cretaceous (~86.3–83.6 million years ago)

Collected from the Chalk Group – Weybourne, Norfolk, United Kingdom

Taxonomic Classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Mollusca
• Class: Cephalopoda
• Order: Belemnitida
• Superfamily: Belemnopseina
• Family: Belemnitellidae
• Genus: Belemnitella
• Species: Belemnitella mucronata
• First formally described by Schlotheim in 1813

Geological & Stratigraphic Context:

• Geological Stage: Santonian (Upper Cretaceous)
• Formation: Upper Chalk Formation, part of the British Chalk Group
• Location: Weybourne, Norfolk, UK
• Depositional Environment: Formed in a low-energy, deep marine shelf setting. The fine-grained calcareous ooze that built the chalk accumulated over millions of years in a clear, warm sea with minimal sediment input

Morphology and Diagnostic Features:

• Belemnitella mucronata is a late-surviving belemnite species with a slender, elongated rostrum (guard) and a sharply pointed tip or mucron
• It has prominent longitudinal striations and often displays a central alveolus (conical cavity at the broader end)
• The guard acted as a stabilising structure and counterbalance to the soft body, improving hydrodynamic movement
• Distinguished from earlier species by its fine taper and slight curvature
• Commonly found in association with marine invertebrates like echinoids and inoceramids in the British Upper Chalk

Scientific & Collector Significance:

• This species is considered an important biostratigraphic marker for the Mucronata Biozone in the Upper Santonian to lower Campanian strata
• Its widespread distribution across Europe and abundance make it ideal for dating Upper Cretaceous marine sediments
• A must-have for Cretaceous fossil collectors and an excellent example for educational displays due to its preservation and identifiable features

Specimen Details:

• 100% genuine specimen of Belemnitella mucronata
• Recovered from the classic Cretaceous marine chalk beds of Weybourne on the Norfolk coast
• Carefully cleaned and selected for quality and identification clarity
• Scale cube = 1cm – see photograph for full specimen size
• You will receive the exact fossil pictured
• Includes a Certificate of Authenticity

Summary:

This is an excellent and scientifically important example of Belemnitella mucronata, the last of the belemnites before their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. Collected from the world-famous chalk cliffs at Weybourne, this fossil provides a direct link to the warm seas of Late Cretaceous Europe and is a superb addition to any fossil collection.