1922.6.40

Dayton Natural History

Fossil

H-2.9 W-4.6 L-6 cm

Animalia (Animals)

Mollusca (Molluscs)

Single internal mold of an ammonite camera, that includes remnants of the septa and suture.

Cephalopoda (Octopus, squid)

Baculites

This is a mold of a single chamber from an ammonite shell. Each chamber in an ammonite shell represents a growth stage. The contoured edge is called the suture. The suture helps scientists to identify the various types of ammonites in the fossil record. Even the nautilus, a relative of the ammonite, has a suture but it is not as elaborate as those found on the extinct ammonites. Ammonites, like brachiopods and bivalves, are used to help identify geologic time in the fossil record due to their abundance and their unique shells and patterns.

Molds

Wyoming