Description
Genuine Cenoceras lineatum Nautiloid Fossil
This genuine Cenoceras lineatum nautiloid fossil comes from the Jurassic Bajocian deposits of Caen, Normandy, France. It is a carefully chosen marine fossil specimen representing an extinct nautiloid cephalopod from the warm Middle Jurassic seas of western Europe. Nautiloids are shelled marine cephalopods related to the modern Nautilus, and they are an important fossil group with a long evolutionary history stretching back hundreds of millions of years.
This fossil is a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. Full sizing can be seen in the photo. The fossil shown is the actual carefully selected specimen you will receive, making it ideal for collectors who value authentic, individually photographed fossils with clear locality, age and species information.
Middle Jurassic Bajocian Geology
The Bajocian is a stage of the Middle Jurassic, dating to approximately 170.9 to 168.2 million years ago. During this time, the Normandy region of northern France was covered by warm, shallow marine waters connected to the wider Jurassic seas of Europe. These seas supported a rich and diverse marine fauna, including ammonites, nautiloids, belemnites, bivalves, brachiopods, gastropods, echinoids, corals, sponges and fish.
Caen in Normandy is famous for its Jurassic limestone and fossiliferous marine deposits. The area is especially associated with oolitic and bioclastic limestones, formed in carbonate-rich shallow seas where shell debris, lime mud and small rounded carbonate grains accumulated on the sea floor. Over millions of years, these sediments hardened into limestone, preserving the remains of marine animals such as Cenoceras lineatum.
Cenoceras lineatum Species Detail
Cenoceras lineatum is a fossil nautiloid species associated with Jurassic marine deposits and is historically linked with the name Sowerby, reflecting its early scientific recognition in classic palaeontological literature. The genus Cenoceras belongs to the subclass Nautiloidea, a long-lived group of cephalopods that retained a generally smooth, coiled and chambered shell form compared with the often highly ornamented ammonites.
Unlike many ammonites of the same period, Cenoceras lineatum typically displays a more restrained and elegant shell shape. Nautiloids generally have simpler suture lines, smoother outer surfaces and rounded whorl profiles. This makes them visually distinct from ammonites and highly collectable as examples of a different branch of cephalopod evolution.
Nautiloid Morphology and Fossil Features
Cenoceras lineatum had a planispirally coiled shell divided internally into chambers. The living animal occupied the outer body chamber, while the earlier chambers helped regulate buoyancy. These chambers were connected by a siphuncle, a tube-like structure that allowed the animal to control gas and fluid inside the shell, helping it move through the water column.
The species name lineatum refers to line-like ornament or surface detail associated with the shell. Depending on preservation, the fossil may show the rounded whorl shape, chamber structure, natural shell surface, internal mould features, subtle growth lines or surrounding Jurassic limestone matrix. These features give the specimen both display appeal and educational value, especially for collectors interested in cephalopod anatomy and fossil shell structure.
Ancient Jurassic Marine Environment
This nautiloid lived in a warm Middle Jurassic sea rich in marine life. Cenoceras lineatum would have been an active swimming animal, using jet propulsion to move through the water and feeding as a predator or scavenger on small marine organisms. Its chambered shell gave it buoyancy control, allowing it to occupy the water column above the sea floor.
After death, the shell could settle into carbonate sediment on the sea bed. Burial by lime-rich mud and shell debris helped protect the shell from destruction, eventually allowing mineralisation and fossilisation. The fossil therefore preserves a natural record of the Jurassic marine environment that once covered Normandy.
Caen, Normandy Fossil Locality
Caen and the surrounding Normandy region are well known for Middle Jurassic geology and classic fossil-bearing limestones. Fossils from this area are valued for their historic locality, attractive preservation and connection to the famous Jurassic marine successions of France. A named nautiloid species from Caen offers excellent collecting interest, especially for those building a collection of European Jurassic cephalopods.
This Cenoceras lineatum fossil is an excellent addition to any collection of Jurassic fossils, French fossils, Normandy fossils, nautiloids, cephalopods or marine invertebrate specimens. Its Bajocian age, Caen provenance and classic nautiloid form make it a desirable fossil for display, study or natural history collecting.
Supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, this genuine Cenoceras lineatum nautiloid from Caen, Normandy, France, is a collectable example of Middle Jurassic marine life from one of western Europe’s classic fossil regions.
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