Tuesday 28 January 2014

Ammonite / Ammonoidea

Ammonites are named after the Egyptian god Ammon, who is often 
depicted with rams' horns behind each ear.
Image: An ammonite
The ammonites are actually pre-historic and also extinct. They went extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, Ammonites first appeared about 240 million years ago. Surprisingly they are Carnivore's.
When they are in a group they are called a school.
Ammonites constantly built new shell as they grew, 
Ammonites were predatory, squid-like creatures that lived inside coil-shaped shells. Like other cephalopods, ammonites had sharp, beak-like jaws inside a ring of tentacles that extended from their shells to snare prey such as small fish and crustaceans.

Their size relative to a 6ft man is:
Illustration: Ammonites compared with adult man
Some ammonites grew so big they were 3ft!

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