''Orthosphinctes'' is a genus of ammonites belonging to the order

Ammonitida Ammonitida, or true ammonites, are an order of Ammonoidea, ammonoid cephalopods that lived from the Jurassic through Paleocene time periods, commonly with intricate ammonitic sutures. Ammonitida is divided into four suborders, the Phylloceratina ...

family Ataxioceratidae. They lived in the late

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

period, in the

Kimmeridgian In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 154.8 ±0.8 Ma and 149.2 ±0.7 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordian ...

age, which occurred 155.7-152.1 million years ago. These shelled

ammonoid 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 ...

s were nektonic, fast-moving and carnivore.

Fossils distribution

Jurassic of

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Gallery

File:Orthosphinctes colubrinus 01.JPG , ''Orthosphinctes colubrinus'', from Mount Lochen near

Balingen Balingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Balenga'') is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the districts of Germany, district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located near the Swabian Jura, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35&nb ...

File:Orthosphinctes pseudoachilles - Zoo am Meer - Bremerhaven 01.jpg, ''Orthosphinctes pseudoachilles'', from

Treuchtlingen Treuchtlingen () is a town in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany. It has a population of around 12,000. History The spot where the town is situated was first settled by Celts, Roman Empire, Romans and Franks. The town prope ...

References

Jurassic ammonites Ammonites of Europe Kimmeridgian life Ammonitida genera Perisphinctoidea {{Ammonitina-stub