Description
Witchellia gelasina Ammonite Fossil – Bajocian, Dorset, UK
This genuine Witchellia gelasina ammonite fossil is a carefully chosen specimen from the Inferior Oolite Group at Red Sink Lane, Sherborne, Dorset, UK. Dating to the Lower Bajocian of the Middle Jurassic Period, Laeviuscula Zone, this fossil represents a highly collectable British ammonite from one of Dorset’s classic inland Jurassic fossil-bearing areas. The photograph shows the actual specimen you will receive, making this an excellent choice for fossil collectors, natural history enthusiasts, geology students, educational displays, and anyone interested in authentic UK Jurassic fossils.
Genuine Fossil with Certificate of Authenticity
This fossil is a genuine specimen and includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card. It has been selected as an individual natural history specimen, with full sizing shown in the photo. The fossil is supplied exactly as pictured, allowing buyers to view the preservation, shell form, surface detail, ribbing, matrix, and natural character of the actual ammonite being offered.
Species and Fossil Type
Witchellia gelasina is an ammonite, an extinct marine cephalopod related to modern squid, cuttlefish, and nautilus. Ammonites are among the most recognisable and collectable fossils of the Jurassic Period, valued for their elegant spiral shells, chambered internal structure, ornamental ribbing, and importance in dating sedimentary rock layers. The genus Witchellia is especially associated with Bajocian ammonite faunas and is a well-known component of the classic Inferior Oolite fossil record.
Witchellia ammonites typically display a planispiral coiled shell, with whorls and ribbing that may vary depending on growth stage and preservation. In life, the animal occupied the outer body chamber of the shell, while the inner chambers helped regulate buoyancy in the ancient sea. Their attractive coiled form, combined with their value in Jurassic biostratigraphy, makes Witchellia a desirable genus for collectors of British ammonites and Middle Jurassic fossils.
Geology and Age
This specimen comes from the Inferior Oolite Group, a famous Jurassic rock sequence exposed across parts of southern and western England. The Inferior Oolite was deposited during the Bajocian Stage, around 170 million years ago, when the Sherborne area lay beneath warm, shallow marine seas. These ancient environments supported a rich ecosystem of ammonites, belemnites, bivalves, brachiopods, gastropods, echinoids, crinoids, and other marine invertebrates.
The Laeviuscula Zone places this fossil within an important Lower Bajocian ammonite biozone. Ammonite zones are widely used by geologists because ammonites evolved rapidly and were distributed across broad marine areas, making them especially useful for correlating and dating Jurassic strata. A Witchellia gelasina ammonite from this interval therefore offers both visual appeal and genuine scientific interest, representing a specific part of the Middle Jurassic succession preserved in the Inferior Oolite Group.
Locality – Red Sink Lane, Sherborne, Dorset
Red Sink Lane, near Sherborne in Dorset, is part of an inland fossil-bearing region associated with the Inferior Oolite Group. Although Dorset is internationally famous for its Jurassic Coast, inland localities around Sherborne preserve a different and highly important part of the county’s geological history. These deposits represent Middle Jurassic marine conditions, younger than many of the famous Lower Jurassic coastal beds around Lyme Regis and Charmouth.
The Red Sink Lane locality gives this ammonite excellent provenance and strong regional interest. Fossils from named localities are especially desirable because they preserve a clear connection to their original geological setting. For collectors of Dorset fossils, British ammonites, Bajocian cephalopods, Inferior Oolite specimens, and Sherborne-area Jurassic material, this fossil offers both display appeal and educational value.
Scientific and Collectable Interest
This Witchellia gelasina ammonite is a collectable British Jurassic fossil with strong geological and palaeontological appeal. Its named species, Inferior Oolite Group provenance, Lower Bajocian age, Laeviuscula Zone association, and named Dorset locality make it suitable for a specialist fossil collection, natural history cabinet, educational geology set, museum-style display, or thoughtful gift for a fossil enthusiast.
Ammonites remain one of the most popular fossil groups because they combine natural beauty with scientific importance. Their coiled shells are instantly recognisable, while their use as index fossils makes them essential to understanding Jurassic rock sequences. This specimen represents a marine animal that once lived in the warm Jurassic seas covering what is now Dorset, preserved through burial, mineralisation, and long-term geological processes.
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