''Acanthoceras'' is an extinct

cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...

genus belonging to the subclass

Ammonoidea Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttle ...

and

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Acanthoceratidae Acanthoceratidae is an extinct family of acanthoceratoid cephalopods in the order Ammonitida, known from the Upper Cretaceous. The type genus is '' Acanthoceras''. Diagnosis Acanthoceratidae species are strongly tuberculate with at least umbil ...

that lived from the

Albian The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous Epoch/Series. Its approximate time range is 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 100.5 ± 0.9 M ...

to early Coniacian stages of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

.''Acanthoceras''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org

Description

Their shells had ornate ribs whose function is unknown, although some scientists have speculated that these ribs helped strengthen the animals' shells to allow them to live at greater depths where the water pressure is higher. An adult had a shell diameter of approximately .

Species

* ''A. athabascense'' Warren and Stelck, 1955 * ''A. chasca'' Benavides-Caceres, 1956 * ''A. compitalis'' Stoyanow, 1949 * ''A. folleatum'' White, 1887 * ''A. joserita'' Stoyanow, 1949 * ''A. jukesbrownei'' Spath, 1926 * ''A. offarcinatum'' White, 1887 * ''A. pollocense'' Benavides-Caceres, 1956 * ''A. rhotomagensis'' (Brongniart, 1822) * ''A. sangalense'' Benavides-Caceres, 1956 * ''A. seitzi'' Riedel, 1932 * ''A. wintoni'' Adkins, 1928

Distribution

''Acanthoceras'' fossils have been found in Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia (

Hondita Formation The Hondita Formation ( es, Formación Hondita, Ksh) is a fossiliferous geological formation of the Upper Magdalena Valley (VSM) and surrounding Central and Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, extending from Cundinamarca in the north to Huila ...

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It migh ...

, Tolima),Patarroyo, 2011 Denmark, Egypt, Marocco, France, Germany, India (Gujarat) , Iran, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the United Kingdom, United States (California, Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas), and Venezuela.

References

Bibliography

External links