''Acanthoceras'' is an extinct

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

genus belonging to the subclass

Ammonoidea Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

and

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Acanthoceratidae that lived from the

Albian The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...

to early Coniacian stages of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

.''Acanthoceras''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks was a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cr ...

.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,

Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

, Tolima),Patarroyo, 2011 Denmark, Egypt, Morocco, 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