A FOSSIL DRAGONFLY

A FOSSIL DRAGONFLY

Aeschnogomphus intermedius 

Upper Jurassic, Tithonian stage 

Solnhofen Formation, Eichsätt, Bavaria, Germany

The present specimen is preserved with perfect symmetry with outstretched wings measuring 7.2 inches across (18.29 cm). It is finely preserved and has well defined wing venation on all 4 wings with a straight slender body of 5.2 inches (13.21 cm) in length. Well centered on its natural limestone matrix measuring 14.5 x 10.0 inches (37.0 x 25.4 cm)

Dragonflies are among the most dramatic insect fossils and are known as far back as the Carboniferous period with very little change to their anatomy, an indication of its successful design for over 350 million years. The Solnhofen limestone is an Upper Jurassic Lagerstätte in Germany where some of the finest and most beautifully-preserved fossils in the world are found. The fine grained limestone makes excellent building materials which has led to heavy quarrying over the past two centuries and has resulted in some spectacular fossils being unearthed including the most famous fossils of all time, Archaeopteryx.