We Dig Ammonites

Fact, Folklore, and History

Jodi Summers (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

320 Seiten

2025
Columbia University Press (Verlag)
978-0-231-21392-9 (ISBN)

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Ammonites swam in Earth’s ancient seas for nearly 400 million years. These prolific cephalopods diversified into more than 10,000 species before meeting their demise during the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Today, these spiral-shelled invertebrates are among the most abundant fossils in the geologic record, found from snowcapped Himalayan peaks to parched South American arroyos. People around the world have long been drawn to the mystery and beauty of ammonite fossils. These preternaturally preserved creatures have inspired age-old myths and legends, and studying their secrets has spurred crucial scientific discoveries.

Jodi Summers—an accomplished journalist and passionate fossil collector—guides readers through the entire arc of ammonite history. She explores the evolution, proliferation, extinction, and fossilization of these captivating cephalopods, situating the story in the progression of deep time. Summers also prospects prime fossil-hunting locations, sharing tips, export legalities, and inside scoops for enthusiasts and collectors in search of notable specimens. She takes us along on her globe-spanning journeys: from the desert to the seashore, up mountains and down canyons, to the backrooms of natural history institutions and the floors of fossil shows.

We Dig Ammonites features hundreds of lavish color photographs of rare specimens that showcase the splendor of these magnificent molluscs. This book is an ode to one of the world’s most compelling fossils and an invitation to catch a glimpse of vanished epochs.

Jodi Summers is a field associate in paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History. She was an editor for several rock music magazines and has written three books on the music industry as well as several blogs on historic landmarks and other properties. Her ammonite collection includes more than a thousand specimens. Andy Secher, a field associate in paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, is the author of Travels with Trilobites: Adventures in the Paleozoic (Columbia, 2022) and The Trilobite Collector’s Guide (Columbia, 2024). Neil H. Landman is curator emeritus in the Department of Invertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History.

Preface
Foreword by Andy Secher
Foreword by Dr. Neil H. Landman
1. The Aristocratic Ammonite
2. Orders and Disorder
3. Named for a God
4. Ammonites Are Tools to Mark Time
5. Death and Fossilization
6. Calcite and Aragonite
7. The Animal in the Ammonite Shell
8. Size Matters between Ammonites
9. What Ammonites Ate
10. What Ate Ammonites
11. Heteromorphs Are a Wacky Part of Evolution
12. Ammonites Are Sacred
13. They Arrived After One Extinction and Expired from Another
14. What You End Up Collecting
Closing Words
Epilogue, by Neal L. Larson
Acknowledgments and Thank Yous
Bibliography/Additional Resources
Index

Erscheinungsdatum	11.12.2025
Vorwort	Andy Secher, Neil Landman
Zusatzinfo	250 color images
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	216 x 279 mm
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Mineralogie / Paläontologie
ISBN-10	0-231-21392-1 / 0231213921
ISBN-13	978-0-231-21392-9 / 9780231213929
Zustand	Neuware