Re: Ammonite colouration (was Re: SVP Preview)

["Todd Marshall" <todd@sinistergames.com>]

Just wanted to voice, that you have some really amazing work, Bill!
Beautiful sculptures. If anyone hasn't checked them out yet, I suggest you
all take a peak:
http://www.huntstudios.com/main.htm

Cheers,
Todd Marshall
www.marshalls-art.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Hunt" <bill@huntstudios.com>
To: <dinosaur@usc.edu>
Cc: <dannj@alphalink.com.au>
Sent: Monday, September 30, 2002 11:10 PM
Subject: Re: Ammonite colouration (was Re: SVP Preview)


> Hello All
>
>     I've been lurking on this list for a loooong time, but haven't posted
> anything for a couple of years at least.  (We've been building a
timberframe
> home in Northern Colorado.)
>
>    Yeah, yeah I know it isn't about dinosaurs, but I'm just an old Marine
> Biologist turned Sculptor and I'm responding to this post about Ammonites.
> I figure if I'm going to jump in here I'd better post something I know
> something about.  I am facinated by and I've been sculpting Dinosaurs as
> well, and I've learned a lot by lurking on this list.  (I'm sculpting
> Coelacanths, Pterosaurs and Pleistocine  Mammals too among other things)
>
>      I've seen some beautiful Ammonites recently, at the Black Hills
> Institute and other places and they seem to come in a wide variety of
colors
> including red.  But the most striking thing about them is that some of
them
> retain the pearlesence or mother of pearl quality as well as the bright
> colors.  As for the flesh of modern cephalopods, it's true, there is no
> pigment in the flesh itself.  However Cephalopods have cells within the
> tissue called chromataphores and these contain pigments.  The animal can
> constrict or expand these chromataphores thereby changing the color of the
> animal instantly.  This seems to be connected with the emothinal state of
> the animal; fear, rage, lust, contentment, etc.  I'm sure you've seen
> octopus go from deep red to blanch and back to the color of the substrate.
> Squid can ripple with color  and cuttlefish can match their background so
> quickly that they seem to dissappear in front of your eyes.   So I
wouldn't
> be suprised if Ammonites had this capability too, although it's impossible
> to know since this all takes place within the soft tissue.  -  Bill Hunt
>
> Bill & Rebecca Hunt
> Hunt Wildlife Studios
> 119 Bierstadt Ct
> Livermore,  CO  80536
> 970-484-0894
> e-mail;  bill@huntstudios.com
> Web;  http://www.huntstudios.com
>
>
>
> > From: Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>
> > Reply-To: dannj@alphalink.com.au
> > Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 06:39:53 +1000
> > To: DML <dinosaur@usc.edu>
> > Subject: Re: Ammonite colouration (was Re: SVP Preview)
> >
> > Daniel Bensen wrote:
> >> I was under the impression (er, so to speak) that nothing apart
> >> from the shells had ever been discovered for an ammonite.
> >
> > Shells can have colouration too. In fact, amongst molluscs, it is
> > usually only the shell that is coloured - the flesh is often mostly
> > unpigmented. Some cephalopods are the extreme exception, of course.
> >
> > --
> > ________________________________________________________________
> >
> > Dann Pigdon                   Australian Dinosaurs:
> > GIS / Archaeologist         http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
> > Melbourne, Australia        http://www.alphalink.com.au/~dannj/
> > ________________________________________________________________
> >
>
>
>