Expensive
Amber
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1. This fossil is as good as it gets. The entire piece is
a reasonable size, being about .5" x .3 x .25 inches. But of that
size, here is a pseudo scorpion
that is almost 1/4 inch in width. The pseudo
scorpion is perfectly positioned. It is almost as if he posed
for posterity just before he (or she) died! Arms
stretched out and ready (seemingly) for an attach on a beetle.
It is the most beautiful pseudo scorpion that I've seen. Also
in this piece is a beetle, Coleoptera,
a nice spider, Araneida, even
a small mite, and a gnat! This is a real zoo here. It is expensive,
but it is a very rare specimen! Scanned
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2. Here is something you do not see very often. A feather from
a bird - a
24 million year old bird. The feather
was found
at the La Toca mine not far
form Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican
Republic
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3. One of the most
impressive planthoppers we have
ever seen. The
amber is large, just over
2 inches in length and very clear. The
planthopper is a bit over .25 inches and it has it's
wings spread. Actually
there are a number of
other planthoppers in this piece, but they pall in comparison.
This animals in the
order Homoptera, Superfamily
Fulgoroidea, Family Achilidae That is as far as I can go
with
any certainty. This is just one of those pieces that is
just so impressive when you hold it in your hand and look at
the animals. If you know your planthoppers, then this will
knock you for a loop.
Scanned Image!
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4. Here is a true bug, Hemiptera, Family Reduviidae, Emesinae
- this is an assassin bug. The antennae are so easy to see in
this animal, along with the three-segmented proboscis. The forelegs
have developed into highly differentiated raptorial legs. These
bugs prefer to prey on other insects, which they pierce, paralyze
and subsequently feed on by sucking. Assassin bugs are rare in
Dominican amber. I am going to take a guess and say this this
is a Collarhamphus mixtus.
Scanned
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5. Large Lizard For this one, you must go to the web page.
It is a large lizard which is VERY expensive. Before you go to
the web page, you should know that the price of this beauty is
$70,000! On top of that, we have a completely separate page for
the description of this reptile. Go
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6.
Man, is this a rare
piece. Feathers are just not
very common in amber, rather rare in fact. I have had only
3 specimens
in my lifetime. You will
enjoy this one, about 1.5 x 1 inch in size. The feather is
about 1/3 of an inch long, and looks
complete. While I am not expert in feathers,
it does not look like a flight feather, but one that you would
find on an immature bird. Is that what they call pin feathers?
The price
is very reasonable (yes, I know that is a lot of money, but
not for a feather.) There is also a strange
looking object that I am not familiar with. This particular
piece is from the La Toca mines in the Dominican Republic.
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7. Sometimes I just hate to admit that I just do not know.
Here is one of those times. I think this is a larvae of something
like a moth or butterfly, but for the life of me, I do not know.
It is sharp and an extremely nice piece of Dominican amber. It
also has at least one beetle in it. But take a look at the details
of the larvae! Scanned
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8. The
ants in this amber piece have been trapped in the resin for
about 24 million years. This was a swarm of female worker ants
who were in mass moving down a tree.
They never made it. They became stuck and forever trapped in
the sticky resin. This death assembly has more ants, Hymenoptera,
Formicidae, than we could ever count. My guess is that there
are about 100 to 150 ants here. That is more than anyone here
at Amberica West has ever seen at once. This is a very special
piece of Dominican amber.
Scanned Image 1 and
Scanned
Image 2
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9.
You won't believe this one! In Florida and other 'tropical climates'
most folks have seen the common lizards that scoot around bush
to bush. These Anoles have been around a long time. At
least 20 million years.
Here is one. The amber specimen contains that head of
a lizard (I suspect an Anole sp.). I have a picture of the jaw
from below. Not only does this piece have the head, but
it also has the bones of the forelegs (I assume they are the
humerous,
radius and ulna - they could be the femur, tibia and fibula).
There is still some tissue on it. You can even see the metacarpals.
I can't tell you how rare this is. It just doesn't happen very
often!!! Remember we have a 100% guarantee on what we
sell - this is as good as they get. The specimen is not large
( see photograph). On that
photograph, number 1 (humerus) is about 6 mm in length, number
2 the radius and ulna is about 4 mm in length, number 3 the
head is 5 mm in length and number 4 the phalanxes are about
2 mm in length.
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10. Pseudoscorpion, an ant and a leaf. Pseudo scorpions are
in the order Pseudoscorpionida that have fang-like chelicerae
and short pedipalps. In scorpions, the pedipalps have been modified
into pincers. Typically pseudo scorpions are very small. This
pseudoscorpion is full with
both pinchers raised as in battle. Included in the specimen is
also a curled leaf and a worker
ant, Hymenoptera. This is a good piece at a great price.
Scanned
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11. A very interesting piece of amber that shows some surface
stress planes. These can easily be buffed out. But the big thing
here are 7 mites! So seldom do you see even one, much less 7.
the amber is a nice yellow and very clear. This is a rare piece.
Scanned
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12. I am not sure where to start with this one, there is so much.
Going through the specimen is a twig. The
twig really has character! Not far away from the branch is
a spider. Yes, it is a nice spider, but for the life of me, it
appears that this spider has an egg
sack directly upon its back. The mantis, order Orthoptera
is really very nice. It looks like he (she?) is looking just above
the stick. It is difficult to get a
good picture of this animal, because the scope just does not
do it justice, and the mantis is behind the twig where I would
like photograph it.
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13.
The
order Ephemeroptera comprise mayflies. Mayflies
have two or three long caudal filaments, short antennae and
large compound eyes. The
wings have many cross-veins. Many mayflies
families have been recorded in amber,
although they are rare. This is due to the fact that they do
not live long (a couple of hours to several days) and do not
venture far from the pond or river breeding grounds. This particular
mayfly looks like he posed before he became entombed in
his graveyard of sticky resin. Most likely this animal in is
the family
Baetidae.
Scanned Image!
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14.
This one is different. The piece of amber is small - oh, but
the contents. There are are 2
black scavenger flies, Diptera, Scatoposidae,
genus Rhagolclimina that died 24 million years ago, mating.
Yes, this is a couple that has been locked in a copulatory
position for millions of years. Wow, think about that. Could
you image making this into a pendant
and then telling someone what is in it? This is a very rare
piece (if you haven't guessed by now.)
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15. Here is a rare one - this has what is called an antbug.
Possibly the rarest
animal in this amber is the Ant Bug, order Hemiptera, family
Reduviidae, Genus/species, Praecoris dominicana. Ant
bugs like this one lie in wait on tree bark near
foraging ants. When hungry, they rear up and expose
their undersides, which release a secretion attractive to
ants. As the ants start feeding on the substance, they become
lethargic from a narcotic
in the secretion. That's when the ant bug strikes, savagely
driving its beak into the weakened ant's body and sucking
out its life juices. The ant
bug's hairs protect it from any death-throe bites or scrabbles
by its victim. Today, ant
bugs are extinct. in the Western Hemisphere.
Learn
more about this piece at it's own web page.
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16.
Seldom
will anyone ever see a lizard in amber. They are so rare that
a miner or collector would have to be very lucky to see a real
lizard in amber. This is a real lizard. This is a lizard that
died 25 million years ago. You can see skin, part of the vertebrae,
the hip assembly and the bones of the legs including the phalanxes.
This is a small lizard, probably a baby not to far out of its
shell. You
can even count the toes on the foot! In some places
the skin is gone and there is just an impression in
the resin (amber). But in some places the skin looks
so fresh and strong that you wonder if this guy will
start moving.
Scanned
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1 7.
Centipede #16 Class Chilopodia. This is one of those very rare
centipedes. Millipedes are more common in amber, but centipedes
are very rare. Here is one half a centipede.
As you can see, it is very beautiful. Scanned
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18. A beautiful
lace bug, Hemiptera, Tingidae. The piece is a bit on the small
side and one side of the amber has surface glazing. You will not
find a more beautiful animal than this one. Take a look at the
images and you also will agree that this is a beautiful animal.
Scanned
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19.
If you like planthoppers, this one is for you. Probably one of
the nicest Fulgoreidea
I have seen in a long time. It looks like this guy knew he was
going to die and laid
down perfectly so someone 24 million years
later could marvel at
the beauty. This is nice specimen, the amber is perfectly
clear and the size is good also.
Scanned
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20.
Here is one you do not see every day - a
hitchhiking pseudoscorpion. This fly has a rather
large pseudoscorpion who has just
unclasped his pincers and ended up in a
24 million year old journey through time. Talk about an
instant snapshot. The
amber is good, the
animals are great and this piece of captured time is outstanding.
There are a couple of Springtails -
one large
one small, and a number of
wasps,
Hymenoptera. You will not ever
find something like this for sale again. This is a piece
for the text books. Enjoy.
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21.
This
is one of the animals that you will sometimes find in books.
Often it is the same picture that is used from book to book
or article to article. They are so rare in Dominican amber that
you will just not see that many pictures of them. The whip scorpion
is one of the rarest of all finds. Tail-less whip scorpions
or amblypigids
are very efficient predators. They remain hidden
under leaves, bark and other debris for most of the day.
They come out at night to feed. Their chelicerae
are modified into strong, spine-armored
grasping organs that the hapless arthropods would find nearly
inescapable. Their front pair of legs, in contrast, are long
and slender, obviously modified for sensory
functions. Lacking any type
of tail appendage, these formidable creatures are not frequently
encountered. The females carry their eggs in a sac attached
to the undersurface of the abdomen by a few silken threads.
Amblypygi..........Genus
Phrynus species resinae...............
Schawaller 1979
The size
is about 1 inch x .5 inches x .5 inches
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22.
A petal from Hymenacea protera. This is a large leaf and
very easily seen without any microscopic aid. There is also a
small female worker ant, Hymenoptera, Formicidae near the leaf.
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23.
Large chunk of Dominican amber that has numerous surface stress
cracks. These are only on the very surface, not deep in the amber.
They are easy to buff out. Now hang on with what is here - about
25 mites scattered throughout the amber. I have never seen this
many mites in one place. I do have one smaller piece that has
seven mites (see number 11) , but this has 25!!!!
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24.
Flowers #24
The flower of Acacia. You can see the profuse tangle of
stamens from these three flowers. The stamens
are seemingly full of pollen. There seems to be the pistil
in the center awaiting fertilization from pollen. The is a great
specimen that is in VERY clear yellow amber. Perfect for a pendant
- flowers forever! Scanned
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Isopod
#25
There is a lot here. Among others, there is a great Isopod
(rolly polly?) Also included are midges, a moth,
a long legged fly, ants
and a bunch of others. This
is an extremely busy piece with lots
of material! There are 2 normal amber cracks in this piece.
This is also a great price for a rare animal.
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#
26 The ones that haven't changed in millions and millions of years.
This
beauty is a roach. Large,
easily seen and
perfect for a pendant, this roach, Blattidae will
impressive anyone. There is some very good detail on this
animal.
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27.
This one is different. It is not polished, even though from the
pictures it appears that it is. It is a large
piece of Dominican amber with a near centered, large,
termite, Isoptera. There is a female
ant somewhere in this piece also. But the beauty of this is
the size and clarity of the piece. Just an impressive piece. Even
if you do not like to polish, this is the type of piece that you
can set on your desk. 88 grams and about 4 x 1.5 x 1 inch. Finally,
and possibly the most interesting, it appears that there are many,
small, short
hairs in the amber. I cannot conclusively
say that they
are hairs, but they are uniform
in diameter and they look
like hairs to me (short
hairs). If so, that makes this possibly one of the sharpest
pieces on this page.
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28.
Talk about rare - here is a scorpion. The piece is smallish, 7/8
x .5 x .5 inches in size. But the scorpion is fairly easy to see,
Scorpionida. The body is complete, transparent, with the tail
pincher missing and the ri ght
front pincher also missing. Here is the only time you will EVER
be able to get a scorpion under $5,000.00.
Scanned
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29.
One of the most amazing pieces of amber containing flowers we
have seen. This particular piece must have well more than a dozen
flowers in it. All close together and in great
shape. The flowers are a legume
flower (Leguminoseae) but beyond that we cannot identify it.
We would not normally be so
bold as to suggest a particular use for this amazing fossil,
but here we must divert from our normal
approach. This would make a beautiful pendant! The size and
shape are ideal for this. With a gold
or silver going around the outside....wow. Can you imagine
the response when someone asks "what exactly is that"?
"Oh, 12
flowers that are 24 million years old". There
is even a
bee trapped inside the flowery graveyard.
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Amber poster for sale!
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The DNA Store
has things you only dreamed about. You will enjoy your visit - it is a very unique store.
Also
there is a unique site for exclusive and specialized Dominican amber
at the Amber Mine.
Postage for amber will usually cost $4.60 (USD) per order, anywhere in the world. There may be exceptions to this. We will get your sample
to you as soon as possible (usually mailed the same day or at worst, the next day). U.S. orders
go out by Priority Mail, overseas as Air Mail. Books are normally mailed "Media Mail", unless they are light, in which case they are mailed first class.
Overseas books are air mail unless the weight is prohibitive, in which case you will have the option of surface (ship) or paying a bit extra for air mail.
All prices are in U.S. dollars. If you are overseas and want something other than normal air mail - contact us when you make the purchase.
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Finally, if you feel more comfortable, feel free to call us at 719-488-2654 (this is in the United States). This number works as a fax if you would like to fax your request or purchase order.
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sales@ambericawest.com
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