Friday, November 25, 2022

French Harpoceras serpentinum Ammonite Fossil

The image shown is a Harpoceras serpentinum (Schlotheim , 1820) ammonite fossil. It dates to the Jurassic Period (Toarcien) and was found at Cheville (Sarthe) France. It was displayed at Muséum National D'Historie Naturelle Jardin Des Plantes Paléontologie et Anatomie Comparée, Paris, France.  Image taken August 2009.

The species was named by German palaeontologist Ernst Friedrich, Baron von Schlotheim (1764-1832). He originally called it Ammonites serpentinus (Schlotheim , 1820). The name ammonite was derived from Egyptian deity Ammon who was represented by a symbol looking like a coiled ram horn.