Description
GENUINE PHYLLOCERAS HYPHYLLOCERAS ONDENSE AMMONITE FOSSIL
This listing is for a genuine Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense ammonite fossil from the Cenomanian Stage of the Cretaceous Period, collected from Alicante Province, Spain. This is a carefully chosen fossil specimen, with the listing photo showing the actual fossil you will receive. It is an excellent piece for collectors of Spanish fossils, Cretaceous ammonites, marine fossils, Mediterranean geology, natural history specimens, and scientifically interesting palaeontology display pieces.
This fossil is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, confirming that it is a genuine natural fossil specimen. Full sizing can be seen in the photo.
SPECIES AND FOSSIL TYPE
Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense is an ammonite, part of the extinct ammonoid cephalopods that lived in ancient marine environments during the Mesozoic Era. Ammonites were related to modern squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus, and they lived inside chambered shells that helped them regulate buoyancy while moving through the water. The living animal occupied the final body chamber, while the earlier chambers acted as a natural floatation system.
Phylloceratid ammonites are especially admired by collectors for their elegant shell form and refined appearance. Unlike many heavily ribbed or tuberculate ammonites, Phylloceras-type ammonites often have smoother, more compressed shells with fine growth lines and a graceful rounded outline. Their sutures are famously complex and leaf-like, which is reflected in the name Phylloceras, meaning “leaf horn”. These intricate suture patterns are one of the notable scientific and aesthetic features of the group.
CENOMANIAN GEOLOGICAL AGE
This specimen dates from the Cenomanian, the earliest stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. During the Cenomanian, global sea levels were high and many areas of Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean region were covered by warm marine waters. These seas supported rich ecosystems of ammonites, bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, fish, marine reptiles, crustaceans, and planktonic organisms.
Ammonites from the Cenomanian are important because they help illustrate marine life during a period of major environmental change and widespread shallow seas. They are also valued in biostratigraphy, as ammonites evolved rapidly and many species had broad geographic ranges. A named Cenomanian ammonite from Spain is therefore both an attractive collector’s fossil and a meaningful example of Cretaceous marine palaeontology.
ALICANTE PROVINCE, SPAIN LOCALITY
Alicante Province in south-eastern Spain is part of a region with important Mesozoic marine geology. During the Cretaceous, this area was influenced by warm seas connected to the wider Tethyan realm, an ancient oceanic system that played a major role in the development and distribution of marine life across southern Europe and North Africa.
Fossils from Alicante Province are desirable because they come from a classic Mediterranean geological setting. The sedimentary rocks of this region preserve evidence of ancient marine basins, carbonate platforms, and open marine environments. A Phylloceras ammonite from this area offers a direct connection to the Cretaceous seas that once covered parts of what is now eastern Spain.
MORPHOLOGY AND COLLECTABLE FEATURES
Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense is a highly collectable ammonite because of its refined form and scientific interest. Phylloceratid ammonites are typically known for their smooth to finely ornamented shells, rounded whorls, compressed profile, and complex suture lines. These features give them a different appearance from many strongly ribbed Cretaceous ammonites and make them appealing to collectors who enjoy variety within ammonite evolution.
The subgenus Hypophylloceras is associated with phylloceratid ammonites that continued the long evolutionary tradition of elegant, involute shell forms. The shell’s shape and chambered structure would have helped the animal maintain buoyancy in the water column, while the intricate internal sutures strengthened the shell. Depending on preservation, specimens may show the natural curvature of the whorls, subtle surface texture, growth lines, or chamber detail.
CRETACEOUS MARINE ENVIRONMENT
When this ammonite was alive, the Alicante region was part of a warm marine world very different from the landscape seen today. The sea would have supported floating plankton, swimming cephalopods, fish, and many seabed-dwelling invertebrates. Phylloceras ammonites were part of this ecosystem, moving through the water as active marine animals.
The wider Tethyan influence is important because many ammonite groups spread through connected marine routes. This allowed certain ammonite lineages to become widely distributed and scientifically useful for comparing rock layers across different regions. Fossils such as Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense help show the diversity of ammonites in Cretaceous seas and the strong connection between Spain’s geology and the broader ancient marine world.
AUTHENTICITY AND DISPLAY
This Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense ammonite fossil is a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The listing photo shows the actual fossil you will receive, so you can buy with confidence knowing the specimen pictured is the one supplied.
This fossil would make an excellent addition to a fossil cabinet, geology collection, educational display, natural history collection, or specialist ammonite collection. It is also a thoughtful gift for fossil collectors, palaeontology enthusiasts, students, teachers, or anyone interested in Spanish fossils, Cretaceous ammonites, Mediterranean geology, and prehistoric marine life.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Fossil: Ammonite
Species: Phylloceras (Hypophylloceras) ondense
Age: Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous
Location: Alicante Province, Spain
Specimen: Genuine fossil ammonite
Certificate: Includes Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card
Sizing: Please see photo for full sizing
Photo: Shows the actual specimen you will receive
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