Description
Genuine Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni Ammonite Fossil – Cenomanian, Texas
This genuine fossil ammonite is identified as Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni, a highly collectable Upper Cretaceous ammonite from the Woodbine Group of Texas, USA. Dating to the Cenomanian Stage of the Upper Cretaceous, this specimen represents marine life from approximately 100–94 million years ago, when large parts of North America were influenced by warm Cretaceous seas and coastal marine environments.
This fossil is a carefully chosen specimen, with the photograph showing the actual fossil you will receive. Full sizing can be seen in the photo. It is supplied as a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, making it an excellent addition to a fossil collection, ammonite display, educational geology collection, or natural history cabinet.
Fossil Type and Species
Ammonites were extinct marine cephalopods related to modern squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and nautilus. They lived inside coiled, chambered shells, with the animal occupying the final body chamber while the earlier chambers helped regulate buoyancy. Ammonites are among the most important fossils in Mesozoic geology because they evolved rapidly, spread widely through ancient seas, and are often useful for dating and correlating rock layers.
Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni belongs to the order Ammonitida, family Acanthoceratidae, and superfamily Acanthoceratoidea. Acanthoceratid ammonites are especially well known from the Cretaceous and are recognised for their strong shell ornamentation, including ribs, nodes, tubercles, and robust whorl forms. These features make them popular with collectors because they display the bold sculptural character typical of many Upper Cretaceous ammonites.
The name Conlinoceras is often treated as a subgenus within Calycoceras, reflecting its close relationship to other acanthoceratid ammonites. Specimens attributed to this group are valued for their distinctive Cenomanian age, their North American occurrence, and their importance in Cretaceous ammonite faunas.
Shell Morphology and Notable Features
Calycoceras and related Conlinoceras ammonites typically show a strongly ornamented shell with pronounced ribs crossing the flanks and venter. Many examples display raised tubercles or nodose features positioned along the ribs, giving the fossil a rugged and architectural appearance. These shell features may have strengthened the ammonite’s shell and contributed to its hydrodynamic form in the water.
The whorls are often moderately evolute, meaning earlier whorls may remain partly visible rather than being completely enclosed by later growth. The combination of ribbing, tubercles, and coiled shell form gives this fossil strong visual appeal and makes it a fine representative of Upper Cretaceous ammonite evolution.
Woodbine Group Geology
This specimen comes from the Woodbine Group, a Cenomanian-age geological unit known from Texas and surrounding regions. The Woodbine Group includes sediments deposited during a time of changing sea levels, coastal plains, deltas, shoreface settings, and shallow marine conditions linked to the expanding Cretaceous seas of North America.
During the Cenomanian, the region that is now Texas lay near warm marine and marginal marine environments. Sediments carried by rivers and coastal systems entered shallow seas, where sand, mud, shell debris, and organic material accumulated. These deposits eventually became fossil-bearing rock layers, preserving the remains of marine organisms such as ammonites, bivalves, gastropods, fish, and other Cretaceous fauna.
The Woodbine Group is particularly interesting because it records a dynamic environment rather than a single quiet sea floor. Ammonites from this unit help illustrate the connection between open marine waters and nearby coastal systems during the early Late Cretaceous.
Cenomanian Age and Scientific Interest
The Cenomanian is the earliest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Period. It was a time of globally high sea levels, warm climates, and widespread marine habitats. Ammonites flourished during this interval, developing a wide variety of shell shapes and ornamentation styles.
A named ammonite such as Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni is desirable because it provides more scientific and collecting value than an unidentified ammonite. The identification links the fossil to a specific Cretaceous ammonite group, a recognised geological stage, and a known North American rock unit. For collectors interested in stratigraphy, Cretaceous marine life, or Texas fossils, this makes the specimen especially appealing.
Collectable Cretaceous Ammonite from Texas
This Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni ammonite fossil is a strong choice for collectors of Cretaceous fossils, ammonites, American fossils, and natural history specimens. Its Woodbine Group origin gives it excellent locality interest, while its Cenomanian age places it within a major period of ammonite diversity and marine expansion.
The fossil is suitable for display, study, or inclusion in a labelled fossil collection. Its combination of named species, Texas provenance, Upper Cretaceous age, and genuine Certificate of Authenticity makes it a desirable specimen for both beginner and advanced collectors.
Authenticity and Presentation
This fossil is a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The specimen has been carefully selected, and the photograph shows the actual fossil you will receive. Full sizing can be seen in the photo.
As a genuine Calycoceras (Conlinoceras) wattoni ammonite from the Woodbine Group of Texas, this specimen offers an attractive and scientifically interesting example of Cenomanian marine life from the Upper Cretaceous seas of North America.
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