Description
Genuine Eotetragonites raspaili Ammonite Fossil from Beraketa, Madagascar
This is a genuine Eotetragonites raspaili ammonite fossil from Beraketa, South-West Madagascar, dating to the Upper Aptian–Lower Albian interval of the Cretaceous Period. Madagascar is internationally known for its exceptional Cretaceous ammonites, with many specimens preserving attractive coiled forms, natural shell detail, mineral colour, and strong display appeal. This carefully chosen fossil is supplied exactly as shown in the photograph, so the fossil pictured is the actual specimen you will receive. Full sizing can be seen in the photo.
This fossil includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, making it a desirable piece for ammonite collectors, fossil enthusiasts, geology students, educational displays, natural history cabinets, and collectors of authentic Madagascar fossils.
Fossil Type and Species
Eotetragonites raspaili is an ammonite, an extinct marine cephalopod related to modern squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus. Ammonites lived inside coiled, chambered shells. The animal occupied the outer body chamber, while the internal chambers helped regulate buoyancy, allowing it to move through the ancient sea. Their spiral shells, rapid evolution, and wide distribution make ammonites some of the most important fossils for dating and comparing marine rock layers.
The genus Eotetragonites belongs to the order Ammonitida and is associated with the family Tetragonitidae, a group of Cretaceous ammonites known for generally smooth to finely ornamented shells and rounded whorl profiles. These ammonites are often admired for their elegant spiral form rather than heavy ribbing or spines, giving them a clean and classic fossil appearance.
Eotetragonites raspaili Morphology
Eotetragonites raspaili is valued for its balanced coiling and attractive shell shape. The shell is typically planispiral, with whorls coiled in a flat spiral. Depending on preservation, specimens may show subtle growth lines, fine ornament, chamber divisions, whorl curvature, shell texture, mineral staining, and natural surface variation. These features are important to both collectors and palaeontologists, as they reflect the growth and structure of the original Cretaceous cephalopod.
Unlike more heavily ornamented ammonites, Eotetragonites often has a smoother and more refined appearance. This makes it especially appealing as a display fossil, where the natural spiral form can be appreciated clearly. Any natural matrix, wear, compression, small surface marks, or colour variation should be viewed as part of the fossil’s genuine geological history and preservation.
Cretaceous Age and Ancient Marine Environment
This fossil dates to the Upper Aptian–Lower Albian, approximately around the transition between two important Cretaceous stages. This was a time of widespread marine environments, high biological diversity, and active ammonite evolution. Ammonites were abundant in many Cretaceous seas and are widely used as guide fossils because different species appeared, evolved, and disappeared over relatively short geological intervals.
During this period, the seas around Madagascar supported a rich marine ecosystem including ammonites, nautiloids, bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, fish, marine reptiles, and other invertebrates. Eotetragonites would have lived as a free-swimming marine cephalopod, moving through the water column and using its chambered shell for buoyancy control. After death, the shell could settle onto the sea floor, become buried by sediment, and gradually fossilise over millions of years.
Beraketa, South-West Madagascar Locality
Beraketa in South-West Madagascar is associated with fossil-bearing Cretaceous marine deposits. Madagascar’s Cretaceous fossil record is especially important because the island formed part of the southern Gondwanan world before becoming increasingly isolated through continental breakup. The marine sediments of Madagascar preserve evidence of ancient seaways connected to the developing Indian Ocean and wider Tethyan-influenced marine systems.
The rocks that preserved ammonites such as Eotetragonites were deposited in marine conditions, with sediments accumulating on the sea floor as muds, silts, sands, marls, and limestones depending on the local environment. Over time, burial, pressure, mineral replacement, and weathering produced the fossil specimens collected today. These geological processes give each ammonite its individual character, surface texture, and natural colour.
Collectable Madagascar Ammonite with Certificate of Authenticity
This Eotetragonites raspaili ammonite fossil is a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The fossil has been carefully selected as an individual piece, with the photograph showing the actual specimen supplied. It is suitable for display cabinets, educational fossil collections, geology teaching sets, natural history décor, or as a distinctive gift for anyone interested in fossils and prehistoric marine life.
With its Beraketa, South-West Madagascar provenance, Upper Aptian–Lower Albian Cretaceous age, and elegant ammonite form, this specimen is a collectable example of ancient cephalopod life from one of the world’s most famous fossil-producing regions.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.