Ammonite
Ammonites are prehistoric molluscs related to octopuses and squids.
The shell of young ammonites were very small, and as they aged the shell would grow additional chambers. The ammonite would move from one chamber to another as it grew, closing off the smaller chambers behind it. Over time, the shell would grow into an elaborate design, usually in the shape of a spiral.
Ammonites were marine animals, meaning they lived in saltwater. They were predatory meat-eaters, though some may have been filter feeders, eating plankton and other tiny organisms.
Ammonites are extinct prehistoric molluscs known for their distinctive shells which are often spiral shaped. With their shells, they look similar to the living nautilus, but they are more closely related to squids, octopuses and other non-shelled cephalopods. While the nautilus has many dozens of tentacles, it is thought that ammonites had eight to ten tentacles, like squids and octopuses.
Ammonites came in a wide range of sizes, with some as small as a few millimeters, and some with shells that could measure over six feet in diameter.
Ammonites existed over a massive span of time, appearing first around 450 million years ago and surviving up until around 66 million years ago. Most ammonites disappeared around the same time as the extinction event that killed most of the non-avian dinosaurs, though some survived a bit longer.
The name “ammonite” refers to the Egyptian god Ammon, who was often shown wearing the horns of a ram. The shells of ammonites resemble a spiraling ram’s horn, so the name “ammonite” was used to refer to them.
Before it was known that ammonites were molluscs, their fossils were thought to be snakes that had turned to stone, and they were sometimes referred to as “snakestones”.
Because ammonites evolved rapidly and lived over such a long span of time, they are important to help paleontologists determine the age of the rocks in which fossils are found. Ammonite fossils are plentiful, so finding a specific type of ammonite with fossils of other organisms can be a good indicator of how old the fossils in the area are.