Ammonites
The Yorkshire Natural History Museum currently has a wide array of different ammonite specimens on display, many of which have been collected locally from the Jurassic rocks around the Yorkshire coast. The museum collections house many additional specimens, available for use by researchers upon request.
What are Ammonites?
Ammonites are a group of extinct marine molluscs that lived from the Jurassic to the end of the Palaeocene, spanning 200-65 Mya. Their closest living relatives are extant cephalopods, such as squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish.
They generally lived in shallow seas, and likely fed on small plankton and vegetation from the seafloor.
The museum is currently displaying many Jurassic ammonites across various display cases. Some highlights from our collections are shown in the image gallery below.
Giant ammonites on display at the YNHM
Local Link - Jurassic Yorkshire
Fossil Preparation
Many of the specimens on display in the museum have been collected locally and prepared by the conservation department in our laboratories.
Celebrating Local Palaeontology
Much can be learnt about the past ecology and environment of the Yorkshire Jurassic rocks in which these specimens have been found by studying the ammonites.
Keen to find out more?
Book a public fossil preparation class with our partner organisation Neo Jurassica today to learn how to prepare your own ammonite in our on-site laboratories.