Lot 333
Horseshoe Crab in a Death Spiral. Horseshoe crabs, a close ancestor of the trilobite, are very rare in the fossil record with the best preserved specimens such as this one being found in the 150 million year old lithographic limestone of the Solnhofen Lagoon (Eichstadt, Germany). Not only is this 4 inch long golden Horsehoe crab, Mesolimulus walchi complete and well preserved but the very last seconds of its life are captured also in its death spiral represented on this large 15 x 12.5 inch creamy limestone slab. The death spiral ending with the Horseshoe crab fossil is a slightly lighter color on the slab from the sandy Lagoon bottom being disturbed by the suffocating crab. This occurred because the Lagoon water was oxygen depleted and any sea animals tossed into it by storms were quickly suffocated. Finding a fossil with a story to tell about its becoming is a fossil is extraordinary.
Add $30 for domestic shipping.
Estimated Value $900 - 1,100.
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