Acanthochirana Fossil Pair

This exquisitely preserved Acanthochirana specimen, offered here as both the positive and negative split, hails from the world-renowned Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria, Germany. Dated to the Late Jurassic period (Tithonian stage) this fossil captures a moment in time when the Solnhofen lagoon system was a warm, shallow, anoxic environment ideal for fossilization.

Acanthochirana is a genus of extinct shrimp-like decapod crustaceans belonging to the family Penaeidae, an ancient lineage that includes modern prawns. Characterized by its slender body, elongated rostrum, and delicate antennae, Acanthochirana played a likely ecological role similar to that of today’s reef-dwelling shrimps, scavenging organic matter and serving as prey for larger marine reptiles.