Curators Choice – Ammonites

Ammonites are a type of mollusc from the cephalopod class. Ammonites lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, from about 201 million years ago to 66 million years ago. For an incredible 140 million years, ammonites were the most common cephalopod in the seas. Then they went extinct, around the same time as the dinosaurs disappeared.

Ammonites are common fossils in rocks formed from ancient ocean floors. As the area now known as North Lincolnshire, used to be covered by a shallow sea, we find ammonites locally in rocks including the chalk that makes up the Wolds and the Frodingham Ironstone.

Ammonites evolved and changed rapidly, so come in a wide range of recognisable sizes and shapes, making them important dating tools for geologists. In this video, Heritage Manager Rose Nicholson, takes a closer look at ammonites and what makes them so remarkable.

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