Leptolepides sprattiformis fossil from Solnhofen Limestones

Description

This Leptolepides sprattiformis fossil comes from the famous Solnhofen Limestones, Germany. The Solnhofen Limestone is quarried for centuries in the area around the towns of Solnhofen and Eichstadt. Solnhofen limestone was being used to print books and  became a ornamental stone. It was used primarily for walkways and patios.

Today, the Quarries located in Solnhofen produce cement. The industrial quarrying for cement does not produce any fossils. Neighboring quarries have been still hand worked for ornamental stone and fossils. Due to low demand in the recent decades many quarries closed down over the years. The for now the final blow came in July 2023 when all production stopped. The storages are full (for now?). Solnhofer Plattenkalk is Upper Jurassic and about 144 million years of age. Solnhofen is known to produce pristine and well preserved fossils.

This  Leptolepides sprattiformis fossil is framed in wood.

For more information on Leptolepides and other fossils, you can go to or click here :  https://www.solnhofen-fossilienatlas.de and write the german name for fishes = “Fische” under Suche. If you want a english translation it would be better to google Solnhofen Fossilienatls and choose “translate this page” in Google already.

For return or other policy and questions regarding taxes, go to or click here: terms and conditions.

Additional information