Description
Strenoceras aff. Baculata Ammonite Fossil from Oborne Wood Quarry, Dorset
This is a genuine Strenoceras aff. Baculata ammonite fossil from the Inferior Oolite Group, dating to the Middle Jurassic, Bajocian stage, collected from Oborne Wood Quarry, Dorset, UK. This specimen is associated with the Baculata Subzone, adding extra geological and collectable interest for anyone interested in British ammonites, Jurassic fossils, and classic Dorset fossil localities.
This carefully chosen fossil is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. The photograph shows the actual fossil specimen you will receive, allowing the buyer to view the condition, preservation, size, shape, colour, and display quality before purchase. Full sizing and scale can be seen in the photo.
Geological Age and Formation
This ammonite comes from the Inferior Oolite Group, one of the most important fossil-bearing Middle Jurassic rock units in southern England. It dates to the Bajocian stage, approximately 170 million years old, a time when ammonites were thriving in warm marine seas across Europe. The Inferior Oolite is famous for its limestones, sandy limestones, iron-rich horizons, shell beds, and highly diverse ammonite faunas.
The fossil is recorded from the Baculata Subzone, a more specific ammonite biostratigraphic division within the Bajocian. Ammonite zones and subzones are valuable because ammonites evolved rapidly and were widely distributed, allowing geologists to use them for dating and correlating Jurassic rock layers. This makes the fossil especially appealing as both a display specimen and a piece with strong geological context.
Location: Oborne Wood Quarry, Dorset
This specimen was collected from Oborne Wood Quarry, Dorset, a locality associated with the classic Middle Jurassic geology of south-west England. Dorset is internationally known for its Jurassic fossils, and its inland quarries and coastal exposures have produced a wide variety of ammonites and other marine fossils.
During the Bajocian, the area that is now Dorset was covered by warm shallow to moderately deep seas. Sediments rich in carbonate, shell debris, sand, and iron minerals accumulated on the seabed, preserving ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, brachiopods, gastropods, echinoids, crinoids, and other marine organisms within the Inferior Oolite succession.
Fossil Type and Identification
This fossil is identified as Strenoceras aff. Baculata. The abbreviation “aff.” means the specimen shows close affinity to Strenoceras baculata, while allowing for natural variation or preservation differences. This style of identification is commonly used for fossils that closely resemble a known species but are best described with careful scientific caution.
Strenoceras is a Middle Jurassic ammonite genus associated with the diverse Bajocian ammonite faunas of Europe. Ammonites were extinct marine molluscs related to modern squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and nautilus. They had coiled external shells divided internally into chambers. The living animal occupied the outer body chamber, while earlier chambers helped regulate buoyancy, allowing the ammonite to move through the water column.
Morphology and Notable Features
Strenoceras ammonites are appreciated for their classic Jurassic spiral form and strong shell ornament. Depending on preservation, specimens may show visible whorls, a defined central umbilicus, ribbing, shell texture, mineralisation, and surface detail that records the growth of the animal’s shell. The coiled shell grew in stages, with each new whorl representing a later part of the ammonite’s life.
The shell was divided internally by walls known as septa. Where these septa met the outer shell, they formed suture lines, which are important in ammonite classification. The ribbing, whorl shape, umbilical detail, and overall shell proportions all contribute to the fossil’s scientific interest and visual appeal.
As a genuine fossil, this specimen may show natural matrix, fossil shell detail, mineral staining, colour variation, weathering, small chips, cracks, or areas of natural wear caused by fossilisation and geological history. These features are normal for authentic fossils and add individuality to the piece.
Middle Jurassic Marine Environment
This Strenoceras ammonite lived in the warm Bajocian seas that covered Dorset during the Middle Jurassic. These marine environments supported a rich ecosystem of swimming cephalopods, seabed invertebrates, fish, and other marine organisms. Ammonites were active swimming or drifting animals, likely feeding on small prey in the water column using tentacles.
After death, the ammonite shell could settle onto the seabed and become buried by sediment. Over millions of years, compaction, mineralisation, and geological change transformed the shell and surrounding sediment into fossil-bearing rock. This specimen is a direct link to the ancient Inferior Oolite seas of southern England, when dinosaurs lived on land and ammonites flourished in the oceans.
Authenticity and Collectability
This Strenoceras aff. Baculata ammonite fossil is a genuine specimen from Oborne Wood Quarry, Dorset, UK, dating to the Bajocian, Baculata Subzone of the Inferior Oolite Group. It is suitable for collectors of British fossils, Dorset fossils, Jurassic ammonites, Inferior Oolite fossils, marine cephalopods, natural history specimens, educational geology pieces, and display fossils.
This carefully selected fossil includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, and the fossil shown in the photo is the actual specimen you will receive.
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