[Image] The Largest Ammonite In the World

A bit more info on the pic below from Andrew Milner, City Paleontologist and Curator, St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm

"This ammonite is over 8 feet in diameter. It was found by my friend Jim Rockwood (that's him on the outcrop) near Williston Lake in north-central British Columbia. It's Late Triassic from the Fernie Group. Same rocks that held that world record Shonisaurus described by the late Elisabeth Nicholls. The ichthyosaur is now housed at the Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta. both Jim and I were in contact with Paul Johnson (Invert. Paleo. curator at Tyrell). Jim was to show them where it was. Don't know whatever came of that. "
 
Phil;31386 said:
Here is the largest ammonite ever found in Canada. It measures 1.5m across:

I found a website (can't remember the URL) in which it was claimed that the locals refused to allow specimen to be collected, and it has now been totally destroyed by erosion. Don't know if this is correct, but that IS what happens when a fossil in situ is "left there for four children to enjoy".
 
Thanks for that added info. vw1. :notworth:

Good luck on your trip, and while in :canada: look for this, it is up there somewhere in some Triassic rocks. :wink:



Thanks!

Hoo boy, that's a biggie. A bit big to fit into my backpack.

The largest Triassic ammonoids I knew of before were 1m in diameter; the largest Triassic beast I have actually seen was a Rhacophyllites I collected, at about 65cm (estimated, as it's incomplete).
 
You would need several trips with several backpacks to get that, but it sure would be nice to get an up-close view.:smile:


Here is a pic of my largest Triassic ammonoid, Churkites noblei, completely septate 30cm, so with a body chamber it would have been 45 +/-, no where near 65, and a far cry from 8 feet.
 

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vw1;125568 said:
Phil;30212 said:
I wonder if the thing was fully grown? The outermost chambers seem to be somewhat worn away which would make maturity a difficult thing to determine. Perhaps a fully mature specimen was even larger????
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The above was in reference to the giant New Zealand Lytoceras... just in case the order of the postings has caused confusion.
 
Architeuthoceras;125712 said:
You would need several trips with several backpacks to get that, but it sure would be nice to get an up-close view.:smile:


Here is a pic of my largest Triassic ammonoid, Churkites noblei, completely septate 30cm, so with a body chamber it would have been 45 +/-, no where near 65, and a far cry from 8 feet.

My Rhaco was in a float boulder on the Roaring Bay shore, but the matrix was distinctive, so I know which bed it came from. It was, unfortunately, worn so that a little under half of the shell diameter was left. It includes the last septum and part of two whorls exposed in the umbilicus. I managed to carry it in my pack back along the boulder beach and up the steepish path to the car... though I didn't feel so good for a while after that!

Jean Guex visited the University of Otago Geology Dept, where I work as fossil preparator (WHEN there is grant or other money to employ me... at 23 years there, I'm the second-longest-term temporary employee in the university). He has an interest in Rhacophyllites, agreed that the specimen belongs in the genus. He didn't disagree with placement in R. debilis, but who can really tell what species many ammonoids belong to?

As to the Williston Lake 2m+ beast, I think you'd have to have a BIG backpack. One with , say, KOMATSU or perhaps HITACHI or CATERPILLAR stencilled on it.
 
Phil;31386 said:
Here is the largest ammonite ever found in Canada. It measures 1.5m across:

From Past Lives: The Chronicles of Canadian Paleontology:


Unfortunately this specimen has been destroyed by the weather and rockhounds. The locals got together and refused to allow it to be collected... STUPID.

However another has been collected in the general area and is housed in the Courtenay Museum on Vancouver Island.

A 3-meter triassic "ammoniod" reported from NE BC is actually a concretion.
 
Ok, I was derailing (along with Kevin/Architeuthoceras) Hajar's great live cuttlefish thread, so I thought I would resurrect this thread... So how big do you think Parapuzosia eggs would have been?
 
cuttlegirl;166129 said:
So how big do you think Parapuzosia eggs would have been?
I am quite sure that all ammonoid eggs were less than 2mm dia., and most were less than 1mm. It is usually accepted that the eggs hatched just after the primary constriction was formed, usually found close to the protoconch, so the newly hatched ammonoids would be just slightly larger than that. This Thread on Protoconchs, discusses a lot of the ideas on egg size. How big of an aquarium would you need to house a 1 meter gelatinous ammonoid egg mass? :smile:

dwhatley;166130 said:
I would think we would need to concentrate no how SMALL an adult might be to locate one so Kevin will have to start an aquarium :biggrin2:
If you could find a few of these Pteroscaphites, maybe all I would need is one of those small Nano(?)reef tanks. :sly:
 

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