''Scaphites'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of heteromorph

ammonite 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 cuttlefish) ...

s belonging to the

Scaphitidae Scaphitidae is a family of extinct cephalopods belonging to the family of heteromorph ammonites (suborder Ancyloceratina). There is a possible fossil record of them being the last ammonites with fossils dating to the Danian of the Paleocene in D ...

family. They were a widespread genus that thrived during the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...

period.

Morphology

''Scaphites'' generally have a chambered, boat-shaped shell. The initial part (juvenile stage) of the shell is generally more or less involute (tightly coiled) and compressed, giving no hint of the heteromorphic shell form yet to come. The terminal part (adult stage) is much shorter, erect, and bends over the older shell like a hook. They have transverse, branching ribs with tubercles (small bumps) along the venter. Reconstructions of the body within the shell can be made to portray ''Scaphites'' as either a benthic (bottom-dwelling) or

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

ic animal, depending on where the center of gravity is located. Since useful

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s of the soft-body parts of cephalopods are highly rare, little is known about how this animal actually fit into its shell and lived its life.

Age

Because ''Scaphites'' and its relatives in the superfamily Scaphitoidea are restricted to certain ages 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 ...

(''ca.'' 144 to 66.4 million years ago), they are useful in some areas as an

index fossil Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock Stratum, strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them.Hine, Robert. “Biostratigraphy.” ''Oxford Reference: Dictiona ...

. A notable example is the Late Cretaceous

Western Interior Seaway The Western Interior Seaway (also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, the North American Inland Sea, and the Western Interior Sea) was a large inland sea that split the continent of North America into two landmasses. The ancient sea, ...

in North America, in which several

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

lineages of scaphite species evolved and now serve as the basis for a highly resolved regional

biostratigraphy Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock Stratum, strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them.Hine, Robert. “Biostratigraphy.” ''Oxford Reference: Dictiona ...

Species

* ''Scaphites binneyi'' † Reeside, 1927 * ''Scaphites carlilensis'' †

Morrow wikt:morrow, Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English Morrow may also refer to: Places in the United States and Canada United States *Morrow, Arkansas *Morrow, Georgia *Morrow, Louis ...

, 1935 * ''Scaphites depressus'' † Reeside, 1927 * ''Scaphites ferronensis'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites frontierensis'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites hippocrepis'' † DeKay, 1827 * ''Scaphites impendicostatus'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites leei'' † Reeside, 1927 * ''Scaphites nanus'' † Reeside, 1927 * ''Scaphites nodosus'' † * ''Scaphites obliquus'' † J. Sowerby, 1813 * ''Scaphites preventricosus'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites tetonensis'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites uintensis'' † Cobban, 1951 * ''Scaphites warreni'' †

Meek Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience. Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...

and

Hayden Hayden may refer to: Places Inhabited places in the United States *Hayden, Alabama *Hayden, Arizona *Hayden's Ferry, former name of Tempe, Arizona *Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California *Hayden, Colorado *Hayden, Idaho *Hayden ...

, 1860 * ''Scaphites whitfieldi'' † Cobban, 1951

Distribution

Fossils of ''Scaphites'' have been found in

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Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

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Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

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, the

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, and the

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).''Scaphites''
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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

References

External links

Hypothetical reconstructions of various genera of Ancyloceratida

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1061798 Ammonitida genera Scaphitidae Cretaceous ammonites Ammonites of North America Cretaceous ammonites of North America Cretaceous Mexico Cretaceous Europe Cretaceous Africa Cretaceous Asia