Ammonoidea

Ammonoids are extinct, typically coiled-shelled cephalopods composing the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish than they are to nautiluses, which they resemble. The earliest ammonoids appeared during the Emsian stage of the Early Devonian, around 410-408 million years ago, with the last species vanishing during or soon after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event approximately 66 million years ago. They are often called ammonites, which is most frequently used for members of the order Ammonitida, the only remaining group of ammonoids from the Jurassic up until their extinction.

Ammonoidea

Llez (H. Zell) . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
ammonitePBDB
Sits inside
CephalopodaPBDB
Diet
carnivorePBDB
Life habit
nektonicPBDB
Motility
fast-movingPBDB
Vision
well-developedPBDB, for Cephalopoda
Environment
marinePBDB, for Cephalopoda

Time the record covers

At least 333 million years on record.

The record covers at least 399.5 Mya to 66 Mya. No occurrence read is dated outside 419.62 Mya to 61.66 Mya.

Silurian — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesDevonian — about 1088 of 12000 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 838 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 75 of 12000 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 1134 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 764 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 491 of 12000 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 1247 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 257 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 1475 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 2626 of 12000 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 1996 of 12000 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 8 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 0 of 12000 occurrences427–414 Mya — about 7 occurrences414–402 Mya — about 62 occurrences402–390 Mya — about 366 occurrences390–377 Mya — about 273 occurrences377–365 Mya — about 263 occurrences365–352 Mya — about 269 occurrences352–340 Mya — about 98 occurrences340–328 Mya — about 53 occurrences328–315 Mya — about 475 occurrences315–303 Mya — about 46 occurrences303–290 Mya — about 20 occurrences290–278 Mya — about 10 occurrences278–265 Mya — about 33 occurrences265–253 Mya — about 20 occurrences253–241 Mya — about 1815 occurrences241–228 Mya — about 358 occurrences228–216 Mya — about 117 occurrences216–203 Mya — about 97 occurrences203–191 Mya — about 374 occurrences191–179 Mya — about 839 occurrences179–166 Mya — about 216 occurrences166–154 Mya — about 767 occurrences154–141 Mya — about 890 occurrences141–129 Mya — about 719 occurrences129–117 Mya — about 1132 occurrences117–104 Mya — about 607 occurrences104–92 Mya — about 733 occurrences92–79 Mya — about 379 occurrences79–67 Mya — about 848 occurrences67–55 Mya — about 112 occurrences399.5 Mya66 Mya427 Mya55 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Ammonoidea on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group, and the chart stops with its fossils rather than at the present. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 502 formations

Fannin — 52.76°N, 131.55°WFannin — 53.03°N, 131.88°WFannin — 53.18°N, 132.02°WFannin — 53.38°N, 132.27°WFannin — 53.41°N, 132.25°WFannin — 53.20°N, 132.05°WNishinakayama — 34.25°N, 131.00°EPrairie Bluff — 34.63°N, 88.84°WPrairie Bluff — 34.51°N, 88.92°WPrairie Bluff — 34.25°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 34.24°N, 89.00°WPrairie Bluff — 33.93°N, 88.98°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.91°WPrairie Bluff — 33.72°N, 88.92°WPrairie Bluff — 33.50°N, 88.81°WPrairie Bluff — 33.38°N, 88.74°WPrairie Bluff — 33.07°N, 88.61°WPrairie Bluff — 33.05°N, 88.56°WPrairie Bluff — 32.91°N, 88.51°WPrairie Bluff — 34.48°N, 88.98°WPrairie Bluff — 32.73°N, 88.30°WPrairie Bluff — 32.74°N, 88.36°WPrairie Bluff — 32.70°N, 88.17°WPrairie Bluff — 32.61°N, 88.24°WPrairie Bluff — 32.49°N, 88.10°WPrairie Bluff — 32.43°N, 88.04°WPrairie Bluff — 32.39°N, 87.92°WPrairie Bluff — 32.31°N, 87.80°WPrairie Bluff — 32.23°N, 87.50°WPrairie Bluff — 32.14°N, 87.42°WPrairie Bluff — 32.07°N, 87.33°WPrairie Bluff — 32.04°N, 87.26°WPrairie Bluff — 32.08°N, 87.03°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.81°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.81°WPrairie Bluff — 31.95°N, 86.70°WPrairie Bluff — 32.00°N, 86.48°WPrairie Bluff — 31.98°N, 86.00°WPrairie Bluff — 31.98°N, 85.92°WFolkestone — 51.08°N, 1.18°EFolkestone — 51.08°N, 1.08°EFolkestone — 51.08°N, 1.08°WFolkestone — 51.28°N, 0.53°EFolkestone — 51.27°N, 0.08°EFolkestone — 51.32°N, 0.32°EFolkestone — 51.22°N, 0.82°WFolkestone — 50.88°N, 0.33°WFolkestone — 52.55°N, 0.33°WZhitkov — 43.30°N, 132.45°EZhitkov — 42.92°N, 132.30°EZhitkov — 42.93°N, 132.42°EZhitkov — 43.03°N, 131.93°EZhitkov — 42.93°N, 131.92°EVirgin Hills — 18.49°S, 126.96°EVirgin Hills — 18.50°S, 126.00°EVirgin Hills — 18.00°S, 126.00°EVirgin Hills — 18.00°S, 125.50°EPierre Shale — 43.27°N, 104.27°WPierre Shale — 43.30°N, 104.14°WPierre Shale — 43.27°N, 104.22°WPierre Shale — 44.00°N, 103.25°WHosselkus — 40.85°N, 122.10°WHosselkus — 40.93°N, 122.13°WHosselkus — 40.78°N, 122.22°WHosselkus — 41.25°N, 122.33°WGhost Creek — 52.76°N, 131.55°WGhost Creek — 53.03°N, 131.88°WGhost Creek — 53.18°N, 132.02°WGhost Creek — 53.41°N, 132.30°WGhost Creek — 53.20°N, 132.05°WLuning — 38.87°N, 117.62°WLuning — 38.40°N, 118.01°WRennertshofen — 48.00°N, 10.00°ERennertshofen — 48.75°N, 11.03°ERennertshofen — 48.00°N, 11.00°ERennertshofen — 48.75°N, 11.05°ECorsicana Marl — 33.51°N, 94.67°WCorsicana Marl — 33.10°N, 95.54°WCorsicana Marl — 33.10°N, 95.99°WCorsicana Marl — 32.92°N, 96.11°WCorsicana Marl — 32.87°N, 96.20°WCorsicana Marl — 32.85°N, 96.21°WCorsicana Marl — 32.53°N, 96.27°WCorsicana Marl — 32.25°N, 96.29°WCorsicana Marl — 32.06°N, 96.47°WCorsicana Marl — 32.06°N, 96.43°WCorsicana Marl — 32.05°N, 96.44°WCorsicana Marl — 31.81°N, 96.54°WCorsicana Marl — 31.76°N, 96.57°WCorsicana Marl — 31.74°N, 96.61°WCorsicana Marl — 31.40°N, 96.74°WCorsicana Marl — 31.12°N, 96.82°WCorsicana Marl — 30.94°N, 96.95°WCorsicana Marl — 30.37°N, 97.46°WCorsicana Marl — 30.37°N, 97.45°WCorsicana Marl — 30.30°N, 97.46°WCorsicana Marl — 30.23°N, 97.52°WCorsicana Marl — 30.20°N, 97.62°WCorsicana Marl — 29.95°N, 97.71°WCorsicana Marl — 29.83°N, 97.84°WCorsicana Marl — 29.72°N, 97.90°WCorsicana Marl — 29.60°N, 98.03°WCorsicana Marl — 29.49°N, 98.19°WCorsicana Marl — 29.39°N, 98.71°WCorsicana Marl — 29.48°N, 98.81°WCorsicana Marl — 29.18°N, 99.02°WCorsicana Marl — 31.30°N, 96.90°WBuchenstein — 45.82°N, 10.47°EBuchenstein — 46.57°N, 11.67°EBuchenstein — 46.00°N, 10.55°EMancos Shale — 36.35°N, 109.82°WMancos Shale — 35.73°N, 110.82°WMancos Shale — 35.72°N, 106.92°WMancos Shale — 38.90°N, 107.93°WTobizin — 43.05°N, 131.92°ETobizin — 42.92°N, 131.90°ETobizin — 43.17°N, 132.00°EThaynes — 42.69°N, 111.47°WThaynes — 42.23°N, 111.44°WThaynes — 42.12°N, 111.25°WHale — 36.26°N, 93.41°WHale — 35.92°N, 94.23°WHale — 36.06°N, 94.17°WHale — 36.03°N, 93.58°WHale — 36.10°N, 93.75°WHale — 36.09°N, 94.14°WHale — 36.01°N, 94.23°WHale — 36.02°N, 93.87°WHale — 35.91°N, 93.94°WKennicott — 61.50°N, 143.17°WKennicott — 62.00°N, 143.00°WKennicott — 61.50°N, 143.33°WKennicott — 61.25°N, 142.67°WHajar — 14.30°N, 48.49°EHajar — 14.33°N, 48.38°EHajar — 14.55°N, 48.04°EHajar — 14.36°N, 48.02°ENacatoch Sand — 32.10°N, 96.47°WNacatoch Sand — 32.59°N, 96.31°WNacatoch Sand — 33.14°N, 96.11°WNacatoch Sand — 33.61°N, 95.05°WNacatoch Sand — 31.31°N, 96.90°WPrida — 40.28°N, 118.08°WPrida — 40.47°N, 118.13°WNaifa — 14.28°N, 48.55°ENaifa — 14.27°N, 48.56°ENaifa — 14.31°N, 48.43°EPardonet — 56.00°N, 122.75°WPardonet — 56.12°N, 122.88°WPardonet — 58.27°N, 121.77°WPardonet — 56.07°N, 123.02°WPardonet — 56.13°N, 122.77°WPardonet — 56.05°N, 123.02°WPardonet — 56.15°N, 122.57°WPardonet — 56.17°N, 123.07°WPardonet — 56.08°N, 123.07°WRosso Ammonitico — 38.00°N, 12.00°ERosso Ammonitico — 38.02°N, 12.88°E

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Ammonoidea has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 478 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 4,227 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

521 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 536 sites for Ammonoidea, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 463 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 451 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Ammonoidea

Credit
Llez (H. Zell) .
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC Attribution
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itCephalopoda through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Zittel 1884)