Fossil matrix - Ichthyosauria - 29 cm

Exceptional item from a paleontological collection displaying a skull of a prehistoric marine reptile. The specimen is classified within the order Ichthyosauria, with a high probability that it belongs to the family Barracudasauroides Panxianensis, an iconic Mesozoic marine predator.

Period: Middle Triassic (Mesozoic), approximately 242 to 247 million years old.

Provenance: 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:

. Orbital cavity and ring: The large eye orbit on the left side is clearly visible, maintaining the three-dimensional depth of the structure that housed the scleral ring.

. Nasal cavity (Naris): 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 joining lines and natural sutures between the upper and lower maxillary 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 crosscut transversely by a natural white calcite vein that cleanly cuts both the rock of the matrix and the fossil’s snout. 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.