Ammonites Research Paper

at were
Ammonites?

Ammonites were sea creatures that were living in our seas between 240-65 millions year ago, however, they were wiped to extinction at the same time as the dinosaurs. These days, they are perhaps the most well known fossil that is available to us. These creatures were descended from straight-shelled cephalopods names bacrites, which roamed the earth 415 million years ago.

How did
Ammonites move?

Ammonites moved by jet propulsion. During jet propulsion, the ammonite would expel water through a very thin, funnel-like opening named a siphuncle, that then entered the interior chamber and pumped air, in order to propel themselves in the opposite direction.

What did
Ammonites look like?

The ammonite was very similar in appearance to todays nautilus. The ammonite had a coiled shell, which possessed an array of patterns. It also had a fleshy body that entered from the opening, in an almost snail like manner.

Where did
Ammonites live?

Ammonites were usually found in warm shallow waters, their diet indicated this, as the ammonites diet could be found in the largest of quantities in warm shallow waters. Also, it is believed that the ammonites shells would not have been able to withstand

The fleshy body would soon decompose, or eventually get eaten up by other sea creatures, however, the shell would remain there for a lot longer. Over time, the shell would be buried by layers of silt and sand. After thousands of years, once the shell was buried very deeply, the shell would begin to decompose, however, the space in which the shell was originally, would leave an empty space that would eventually get filled up by water that was rich in minerals and would then turn to stone. Leaving us with a fossil. This is named ‘permineralisation’. After millions of years, the place in which the ammonite was buried; under the sea, would probably now be dry land, due to climate