Description
Paraspidoceras meriani Fossil Ammonite
This is a carefully chosen Paraspidoceras meriani fossil ammonite from the Upper Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic Period, collected from Chatente, France. This genuine fossil specimen comes from the Alice Purnell Collection and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The photograph shows the actual fossil you will receive, allowing collectors to view the real preservation, shape, surface detail, matrix, colour and natural character of the piece before purchase.
Full sizing can be seen in the photo. This is an excellent specimen for collectors of Jurassic ammonites, French fossils, Oxfordian marine fossils, named species ammonites and natural history display pieces.
Jurassic Geology and Age
Paraspidoceras meriani dates from the Upper Oxfordian, part of the Late Jurassic Period, approximately 160 to 157 million years old. During this time, much of western Europe was covered by warm marine seas, with carbonate-rich sediments, muds and limestones being deposited across ancient seabeds. These Jurassic seas supported a diverse ecosystem of ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, brachiopods, echinoids, crinoids, fish and marine reptiles.
The Oxfordian is an important stage in Jurassic geology because ammonites evolved rapidly and are widely used for dating and correlating marine rock layers. Fossils from this interval help palaeontologists understand ancient sea levels, marine habitats and the development of Late Jurassic faunas across Europe.
Fossil Type and Species
This specimen 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 earlier chambers helped regulate buoyancy, allowing it to move through the water column in ancient Jurassic seas.
Species: Paraspidoceras meriani
Genus: Paraspidoceras
Family: Aspidoceratidae
Superfamily: Aspidoceratoidea
Order: Ammonitida
Class: Cephalopoda
Phylum: Mollusca
Paraspidoceras is a distinctive Late Jurassic ammonite genus known for its robust shell form and ornamental features. Members of the Aspidoceratidae are especially interesting to collectors because many display strong ribbing, prominent tubercles or nodular ornamentation, giving them a bold and highly recognisable appearance compared with more finely ribbed ammonites.
Morphology and Display Features
Paraspidoceras meriani is valued for its classic Jurassic ammonite form and strong sculptural character. The shell is typically coiled in a planispiral form, with visible whorls that record the animal’s growth through life. The ornamentation of aspidoceratid ammonites may include raised ribs, rounded tubercles or reinforced shell features, which would have added strength and possibly helped with defence or hydrodynamic function.
These features make Paraspidoceras ammonites especially attractive as display fossils. The combination of natural spiral geometry and bold shell ornament gives the specimen strong visual appeal for a fossil cabinet, geology display, educational collection or decorative natural history setting. As a named species fossil from the Upper Oxfordian, it also has excellent scientific interest for collectors who appreciate precise geological age and taxonomy.
French Jurassic Fossil Locality
This fossil comes from Chatente, France, a locality associated with the rich Jurassic marine deposits of western Europe. During the Late Jurassic, sediment accumulated on the seabed and buried the shells of ammonites and other marine organisms. Over millions of years, compaction, mineralisation and geological processes preserved these remains as fossils.
French Jurassic ammonites are highly collectable because they combine attractive preservation, strong locality appeal and important palaeontological value. Specimens from Oxfordian deposits are particularly desirable due to the diversity of ammonite forms found during this stage, ranging from elegant streamlined shells to more heavily ornamented forms such as Paraspidoceras.
Authenticity and Collection Provenance
This Paraspidoceras meriani ammonite is a genuine fossil specimen from the Alice Purnell Collection and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The specimen has been carefully chosen as a quality collector’s piece, and the photograph shows the exact fossil supplied.
As with all genuine fossils, natural cracks, mineralisation, matrix, surface marks, preparation marks, colour variation and age-related wear may be present. These are normal features of authentic fossils and form part of the specimen’s individual geological history. This Upper Oxfordian Paraspidoceras meriani from France is ideal for fossil collectors, ammonite specialists, geology enthusiasts, educational displays and anyone seeking a genuine Jurassic marine fossil with strong natural history appeal.
