Mined from: Yorkshire, England

Era: Jurassic 
Geological Age: 185 mya

Description: Devil’s Toenails are fossilized shells of an extinct oyster known as Gryphaea, a marine bivalve that lived during the Early Jurassic period approximately 185 million years ago. These oysters inhabited shallow seas that once covered much of what is now Yorkshire, England. Gryphaea is easily recognized by its strongly curved, claw-shaped lower shell and smaller flat upper valve, giving the fossil its distinctive “toenail” appearance that inspired its unusual nickname.

The name “Devil’s Toenail” comes from English folklore dating back centuries, when people believed the curved fossils were the petrified claws of the devil himself. In reality, Gryphaea fossils are extremely important to paleontologists because they provide insight into Jurassic marine ecosystems. Their thick calcitic shells preserve well in sedimentary rocks, and large fossil beds in the Yorkshire coast have yielded thousands of specimens that help scientists reconstruct the ancient seabed environments of the Jurassic seas.

Small
Approximate Size of 1 Piece: 3cm x 2cm x 1.5cm 
Approximate Weight of 1 Piece: 17g

Medium
Approximate Size of 1 Piece: 4.5cm x 3cm x 2.5cm 
Approximate Weight of 1 Piece: 48g

Large 
Approximate Size of 1 Piece: 5cm x 3.5cm x 3cm 
Approximate Weight of 1 Piece: 70g

X-Large 
Approximate Size of 1 Piece: 6.5cm x 4cm x 3.5cm 
Approximate Weight of 1 Piece: 140g

Quantity: 1pc

We do our best to buy quality products- although not every rock is the same. If you choose to purchase the "staff pick option", we will select the best of the batch for you. Otherwise, it will be at random from the larger batch we have in stock.