{"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":"2026-03-26T13:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:39:59","slug":"gyrodus-xxl","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/fossiland.com\/en\/shop\/solnhofen\/gyrodus-xxl\/","title":{"rendered":"Solnhofen Gyrodus sp. XXL"},"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 and is a striking representative of the specialized fish fauna of the Solnhofen limestones. Its high-backed, almost circular body shape clearly distinguishes it from the spindle-shaped predatory fish of the open water. Gyrodus<\/em> occupied the ecological niche of a “durophagous” consumer that specialized in cracking hard-shelled food. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scientific classification and morphology<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • \n
      \n
    • Adaptation to the reef biotope: The laterally strongly flattened, disc-shaped form enabled a high degree of maneuverability in the complex structures of the sponge and coral reefs that bordered the lagoons.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Plaster tooth dentition: The most striking feature of Gyrodus<\/em> is its specialized dentition. It consists of several rows of roundish, flat cobblestone teeth on the vomer (plowshare bone) and the prearticulars (lower jaw bones), which functioned like a grinder for breaking up shells, corals or crustaceans. <\/span><\/li>\n
    • Fin fringe: The dorsal and anal fins are elongated and form an almost symmetrical fringe on the posterior third of the body, which is typical of this evolutionary line.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The fine details – what collectors look out for:<\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Plaster tooth batteries: In high-quality finds, the shiny tooth batteries in the skull area are often visible as a composite. 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 trunk is covered with massive scale bars, while the rear part was unscaled. As a result, the bone structure is preserved in the anterior part and the impression of the soft tissue in the posterior part. <\/span><\/li>\n
      • Caudal fin: The strong, sickle-shaped caudal fin is often very distinctively developed and forms an aesthetic end to the body contour in well-preserved specimens.<\/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":[72,147,148],"product_tag":[165,74,167,192,73],"class_list":{"0":"post-8386","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-solnhofen","7":"product_cat-fishes","8":"product_cat-fossils","9":"product_tag-germany","10":"product_tag-gyrodus","11":"product_tag-law","12":"product_tag-premium","13":"product_tag-solnhofen","14":"desktop-align-left","15":"tablet-align-left","16":"mobile-align-left","18":"first","19":"onbackorder","20":"sold-individually","21":"shipping-taxable","22":"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}]}}