Exhibition hall: The History of the Earth and Life Nipponites Display Location: The History of the Earth and Life This specimen is a Nipponites, a type of ammonites found in Japan. The shells are “unraveled,” giving them an uncommon appearance. In Hokkaido, when the first specimen of Nipponites was unearthed, scientists thought it was a diseased individual, but when several similar fossils were found it was understood to be a species.