Fossil matrix - Ichthyosauria - 29 cm

Exceptional paleontological collectible piece that shows a skull of a prehistoric marine reptile. The specimen is identified within the order Ichthyosauria, being highly likely to belong to the Barracudasauroides Panxianensis family, an iconic marine predator of the Mesozoic era.

Period: Middle Triassic (Mesozoic), approximately between 242 and 247 million years ago.

Provenance: Former 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 orbital cavity of the eye in the left sector is observed with total clarity, maintaining the three-dimensional depth of the structure that housed the scleral ring.

. Nasal fossa (Naris): Just in front of the orbit, the elongated opening corresponding to the reptile’s external nasal aperture is perfectly visible.

. Mandibular structure and sutures: The elongated snout (rostrum) shows the lines of junction and natural sutures between the upper and lower maxillary bones, revealing the animal’s original hydrodynamic morphology.

. Texture of the fossilized bone: In the posterior and superior areas of the skull, genuine porosity and the rugged texture of the original bone material substituted by minerals are evident, differentiating it from artificial reproductions.

. Calcium insertion and matrix: As an exceptional geological and aesthetic feature, the piece is crossed transversely by a natural white calcite vein that cleanly cuts both the matrix rock and the fossil’s snout. This mineral line acts as an indisputable "authenticity seal," demonstrating that the fossil and the rock shared the same fracture and tectonic mineralization process over millions of years.