#baculites

Nacreous aragonite shell of Baculites ammonite (Cretaceous) 1

Contrary to popular belief, ammonites didn't quite die out at the end of the Cretaceous. Some genera hung on some half a million years further than that, a dead clade swimming. Fossils from Europe show this quite well, and it seems the fossils themselves were not...misplaced or anything like that. Baculites was one of these genera. Occupying the majority of Earth's oceans in some form or another, Baculites could grow over six feet long. And despite its survival of the asteroid, the ultimate collapse of ocean ecosystems and perhaps ocean acidification sealed its doom even though it lived to see the seas begin to recover. Mammals, too, began growing large. In North America, the big guys started off as beasties like Didelphodon, the size of an opossum. But now we have the raccoon-sized Loxolophus - and only a few hundred thousand years later, the dog-sized Eoconodon. In the absence of competition, they diversified and they grew, and they did so *fast.* This was only the beginning. And thus we set the stage for this scene - one of the last shelled cephalopods of the surface meeting its end as the mammals begin their rise, and continuity from one era to another.

has anyone ever made candy canes or chocolate bark or smth that looks like this fella. the pattern just made me think it'd be a good (and tasty) idea

a day late for Mermay but Prehistoric Planet hit some creative inspiration so have some funky ammonite merpeople

During the age of the dinosaurs, the ocean was also host to an explosion of life, full of unique reptiles, fish, and cephalopods. Species featured: Tyrannosaurus rex Globidens alabamaensis Squalicorax falcatus Pachyrhizodus caninus Baculites vertebralis

And lastly we have... this thing... Odens (Omnidens) is the largest organism of the Cambrian Period, three times the size of the 60cm Anomalocaris. The tentacle pattern flowing across its back and the symbol of Azathoth engraved into its head serve as warnings of its Lovecraftian power, though only a fraction of this power can be used at a time by the creature. Warning: Odens is the only vivosaur whose fossil is both giant AND curious, meaning you'll need to stock up on as much time plus consumables as possible.

Life of our Prehistoric Planet: Baculites vertebralis.

https://extinctworld.in.ua/baculites/