Ichthyosaur skeleton from Holzmaden

This small ichthyosaur comes from the Lower Jurassic (Lias epsilon formation) and is around 180 million 
years old. It was found in the famous sediments of in Germany.

The Ichthyosaur is excellently preserved and perfectly prepared. Even the animal's last meal is 
visible as the contents of its stomach, and remnants of skin and muscle fibers can still be seen beneath 
the belly and in the neck region. The fossil was freed from the surrounding rock using modern sandblasting technology. Fragile remains such as skin and stomach contents can only be preserved through extremely 
careful and time-consuming excavation.

The fossil measures approximately 75 x 32 cm, the slab is approximately 2.5 cm thick. It was broken and has 
been professionally glued. The back of the plate was glued with a thin layer of fiberglass mat to give the 
stone more stability. It is now solid and stable and can be shipped easily.

There are no more active quarries in Holzmaden and ichthyosaurs from there are rarely for sale - is so, 
they are often old finds that have not been prepared with modern technology. In the past the bones were 
scraped out of the rock, with the result that the periosteum (bone skin) and many fine structures 
got destroyed.

Do not miss this one - we are offering you a real highlight fossil. We defenetly cannot offer anything 
equal soon. A great little Ichthyosaur for your collection that can easily compete with many museum 
exhibits in terms of preservation and attractiveness!