FOSSIL BELEMNITE

COOBER PEDY, AUSTRALIA

THESE COLORS ARE NATURAL
NOT TREATED OR ENHANCED IN ANY WAY

This is a opalized fossil replacement of a marine creature "belemnite" that roamed the Cretaceous sea 100 million years ago. Very similar to our squid to day

Belemnites were marine animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca and the class Cephalopoda. ... In the animal's tail, the skeleton formed a bullet-shaped feature sometimes referred to as a guard, but more correctly termed a rostrum (plural: rostra). These are the parts that are normally found as fossils.

An opalised belemnite is a fossil of an extinct marine cephalopod (similar to a squid) in which the original organic material has been replaced by opal, often with brilliant colors. Like opalised clam shells, these are extremely rare and mostly found in Australia.

What Is a Belemnite?

• Belemnites lived during the Mesozoic Era (about 200–65 million years ago).

• They had a bullet-shaped internal skeleton called a rostrum—this is what typically fossilizes.

• Resembled modern squids but had hard internal shells and ten arms.

What Does "Opalised" Mean?

• Over millions of years, silica-rich water seeps into the sediment surrounding a buried fossil.

• If conditions are right, the silica forms opal, sometimes displaying precious opal's play-of-color.

• The result is a fossil preserved in solid opal, sometimes with striking rainbow flashes.

Where Are They Found?

• Almost exclusively in Australia, especially:

  • Coober Pedy

  • Lightning Ridge

  • White Cliffs

• These areas were once an inland sea during the Cretaceous period.

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