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The Teeming Seas
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The seas from the Triassic to the Cretaceous teemed with life, and fossils of all kinds of creatures were left. The most famous are probably the ammonites.
Ammonites were relatives of the octopus and squid, but they lived in coiled shells. The shells had interesting patterns and shapes. Ammonites were common and evolved quickly. This makes them very useful to geologists who can tell how old a bed of rock is by identifying the type of ammonite fossils in it.
(A) SWIMMERS
An ammonite with a narrow disclike shell, like Mantelliceras, was probably a swimmer and a hunter.
(B) DRIFTERS
Ammonites with hook-shaped shells, like Scaphites, probably drifted along feeding on tiny organisms.
(C) CRAWLERS
An ammonite with a towered shell like a snail, such as Turrilites, probably crawled on the seabed.
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Previous:
Back
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Book:
Prehistoric Life
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Section:
Prehistoric
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Chapter:
The Teeming Seas
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