{"id":8386,"date":"2026-03-25T17:55:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/?post_type=product&p=8386"},"modified":"2026-08-28T12:57:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T10:57:58","slug":"gyrodus-xxl","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/shop\/solnhofen\/gyrodus-xxl\/","title":{"rendered":"Solnhofen Gyrodus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solnhofen <\/strong>Gyrodus sp.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Place of discovery: Langenaltheim, Langenaltheimer Haardt; Solnhofener Revier\/ Germany<\/span>
\nLithostratigraphy: Lower Tithonian, White Jurassic Group, Altm\u00fchltal Formation, Upper Solnhofen Subformation<\/span>
\nBiostratigraphy: Hybonotum zone, rueppelianus subzone, rueppelianus horizon<\/span>
\nAge: approx. 150.8 – 152 million years +\/- 2 million years<\/span>
\nSize plate and counter plate: 120 x 100 cm<\/span>
\nSize of fossil: approx. 90 cm (largest size)<\/span><\/p>\n

Showpiece: Giant “moonfish” – a fossil icon from the Upper Jurassic of Solnhofen.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Authentic – in original matrix, not reburied. With proof of provenance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Offered on behalf of the customer. RESERVED<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gyrodus – The specialized hard parts specialist of the Solnhofen archipelago<\/span><\/h2>\n

The genus Gyrodus<\/em> belongs to the order Pycnodontiformes (flatfish) and is a striking representative of the specialized fish fauna of the Solnhofen limestone slabs. With its high-backed, nearly circular body shape, it differs markedly from the spindle-shaped predatory fish of open water. Gyrodus<\/em> occupied the ecological niche of a \u201cdurophagous\u201d consumer specialized in cracking hard-shelled food.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientific Classification and Morphology<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • \n
      \n
    • Adaptation to the reef habitat: Its strongly laterally flattened, disc-shaped body allowed for great maneuverability within the complex structures of the sponge and coral reefs that bordered the lagoons.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Pavement-tooth dentition: The most striking feature of Gyrodus<\/em> is its specialized dentition. It consists of several rows of rounded, flat cobblestone teeth on the vomer (plowshare bone) and the prearticulars (lower jaw bones), which functioned like a grinding mill for cracking open mussels, corals, or crabs.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Fin margin: The dorsal and anal fins are elongated and form an almost symmetrical margin along the rear third of the body, which is typical of this evolutionary lineage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The fine details – what collectors look out for:<\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Pavement-like tooth rows: In high-quality specimens, the glossy tooth rows in the skull region are often visible as a continuous structure. The preservation of these hard tooth structures is considered an important diagnostic feature.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Partial armor: In contrast to the fully armored Dapedium species<\/em>, often only the front part of the torso is covered with massive scute-like plates, while the rear part was unscaled. As a result, the bone structure is preserved in the front section, whereas the rear section tends to retain the imprint of the soft tissues.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Tail fin: The robust, sickle-shaped tail fin is often very prominently developed and, in well-preserved specimens, forms an aesthetically pleasing conclusion to the body contour.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        A highlight for every Solnhofen collection<\/span><\/h3>\n

        Gyrodus<\/em> is one of the iconic fossils of the Jurassic Sea and is highly sought after by collectors due to its aesthetics. <\/span>A fossil like this is not just an investment, but a window into a time when Bavaria was still a subtropical island paradise.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Moonfish Gyrodus from the Solnhofener Plattenkalk. Complete XXL specimen in fantastic condition. Original matrix, wonderful pavement teeth! Dream specimen<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8426,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[72],"product_tag":[165,74,167,192,73],"class_list":["post-8386","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-solnhofen","product_tag-germany","product_tag-gyrodus","product_tag-law","product_tag-premium","product_tag-solnhofen","desktop-align-left","tablet-align-left","mobile-align-left","first","onbackorder","sold-individually","shipping-taxable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/8386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=8386"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=8386"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=8386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}