The most famous fossil in Val Gardena is definitely the ichthyosaur found on the Seceda mountain. This large marine reptile, around 5 meters long, was the largest predator of its time (241-240 million years ago). As much of its skeleton is missing, it cannot definitely be allocated to a specific genus. Yet it remains a very significant discovery, as it is practically unique in the Early Ladinian period, a time of crisis for these marine reptiles.

Ammonites were cephalopods, relatives of today's nautilus, octopus and squid. They are extinct now, but used to be among the most common organisms living in the Triassic seas. There are many examples of their fossilised remains, ranging from perfectly 3-dimensional to completely flattened. The rapid morphological changes in many groups make them an important tool in rock dating. Many species in fact only lived for a few thousand years.