'Stunning' 100-million-year-old fossil found in rock

The fossil of a "stunning" well-preserved ammonite has been dug out from a rock on the Isle of Wight.

Jack Wonfor, 24, spotted the mollusc sticking out at St Catherine's point on the southerly tip of the island.

After digging it out, it took eight hours using an electric engraver to uncover the complete full fossil from the excess rock.

Mr Wonfor said the fossil - a Mortoniceras inflatum - "was roughly 100-105 million years old".

The retained firefighter and guide for Wight Coast Fossils on the island said he was extremely happy to get it out complete as ammonites were "hard to find with a complete rostrum".

He added: "In the rare cases they are preserved they are extremely difficult to extract from the rock without these rostrum breaking and being destroyed."

Wight Coast Fossils said the find was "absolutely stunning".

"This is a well-preserved example of this relatively uncommon ammonite, it is certainly one of the most impressive we've come across," they added.

Mr Wonfor, who has been collecting fossils of marine invertebrates on the island since the age of four, said: "It is one of my favourite fossils I have found over the years".

He said he planned to keep it in his collection before donating it to the Dinosaur Isle Museum in Sandown.

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