On Friday, 14 March at 6 pm, interested parties are invited to the presentation of the Fossil of the Year 2025 in a new special exhibition at the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz, on the 1st floor of the TIETZ, Moritzstraße 20. Admission is free of charge.
The Palaeontological Society has chosen the fossil shark egg capsule Fayolia sterzeliana from the Lower Carboniferous of Chemnitz-Borna and Chemnitz-Glösa as Fossil of the Year 2025.
The deposit in the north of Chemnitz has yielded even more sensational finds, including the oldest evidence of the giant centipede Arthropleura and the oldest quadruped remains in Germany. The shark eggs, which come from two different species of freshwater shark, are also the oldest finds of their type.
The special exhibition will be opened with a welcome address by the President of the Palaeontological Society, Prof. Dr Alexander Nützel. Lectures by Prof. Dr Jürgen Kriwet from Vienna and Dr Jan Fischer from the Palatinate - both proven experts on sharks and shark egg capsules - will provide a popular scientific introduction to the topic.
The special exhibition shows the habitat from 330 million years ago (40 million years before the Petrified Forest), when Chemnitz was not only on the equator but also in the southern hemisphere.
Music, snacks and drinks provide a relaxed atmosphere during the event.
The presentation marks the start of the 50th annual meeting of the vertebrate palaeontology working group of the Palaeontological Society, which will take place on 15 and 16 March at the Museum für Naturkunde.
Background
Every year, the Palaeontological Society honours special fossils with the title "Fossil of the Year". This not only emphasises their importance for science, but also recognises the people and institutions that find, research and exhibit these fossils.