Fossil matrix - Ichthyosauria - 29 cm
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Original Ichthyosauria fossil skull from the Middle Triassic period, China, in natural condition, 29 cm tall including the matrix.
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Description from the seller
Exceptional paleontological collectable piece showing a skull of a prehistoric marine reptile. The specimen is identified within the order Ichthyosauria, with a very high likelihood of belonging to the family Barracudasauroides Panxianensis, an iconic marine predator of the Mesozoic era.
Period: Middle Triassic (Mesozoic), approximately between 242 and 247 million years old.
Provenance: From an old private collection acquired in Hong Kong. Dimensions: 23 cm in total length (29 cm with the matrix included).
Detailed anatomical features of the skull: This piece stands out for preserving key cranial bone structures with extraordinary relief and definition:
. Eye socket and ring: The large left orbital cavity is clearly visible, maintaining the three-dimensional depth of the structure that housed the scleral ring.
. Nasal cavity (Nares): Just in front of the orbit, the elongated opening corresponding to the reptile’s external nasal opening is perfectly visible.
. Mandibular structure and sutures: The elongated snout (rostrum) shows the junction lines and natural sutures between the upper and lower jaw bones, revealing the original hydrodynamic morphology of the animal.
. Texture of the fossilized bone: In the posterior and superior areas of the skull, genuine porosity and the rough texture of the original bone material, replaced by minerals, are evident, differentiating it from artificial reproductions.
. Calcite and matrix insertion: As an exceptional geological and aesthetic feature, the piece is transversely crossed by a natural vein of white calcite that cleanly cuts both the rock of the matrix and the fossil’s snout itself. This mineral line acts as an indisputable "seal of authenticity," demonstrating that the fossil and the rock shared the same fracture and tectonic mineralization process over millions of years.
Exceptional paleontological collectable piece showing a skull of a prehistoric marine reptile. The specimen is identified within the order Ichthyosauria, with a very high likelihood of belonging to the family Barracudasauroides Panxianensis, an iconic marine predator of the Mesozoic era.
Period: Middle Triassic (Mesozoic), approximately between 242 and 247 million years old.
Provenance: From an old private collection acquired in Hong Kong. Dimensions: 23 cm in total length (29 cm with the matrix included).
Detailed anatomical features of the skull: This piece stands out for preserving key cranial bone structures with extraordinary relief and definition:
. Eye socket and ring: The large left orbital cavity is clearly visible, maintaining the three-dimensional depth of the structure that housed the scleral ring.
. Nasal cavity (Nares): Just in front of the orbit, the elongated opening corresponding to the reptile’s external nasal opening is perfectly visible.
. Mandibular structure and sutures: The elongated snout (rostrum) shows the junction lines and natural sutures between the upper and lower jaw bones, revealing the original hydrodynamic morphology of the animal.
. Texture of the fossilized bone: In the posterior and superior areas of the skull, genuine porosity and the rough texture of the original bone material, replaced by minerals, are evident, differentiating it from artificial reproductions.
. Calcite and matrix insertion: As an exceptional geological and aesthetic feature, the piece is transversely crossed by a natural vein of white calcite that cleanly cuts both the rock of the matrix and the fossil’s snout itself. This mineral line acts as an indisputable "seal of authenticity," demonstrating that the fossil and the rock shared the same fracture and tectonic mineralization process over millions of years.
Details
Scientific name
Ichthyosauria
Country of origin
China
Geological period
Triassic, Middle (247.2 - 237 million years)
Condition
Natural
Height
29 cm
Authenticity
Original/official
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