Everything about Inoceramus totally explained
Inoceramus is an
extinct genus of fossil
marine pteriomorphian
bivalves that superficially resembled the related winged
pearly oysters of the
extant genus
Pteria.
The species of
Inoceramus enjoyed a worldwide distribution during the
Cretaceous period. Many examples are found in the
Pierre shale of the
Western Interior Seaway in North America.
Inoceramus can also be found abundantly in the Cretaceous
Gault Clay that underlies
London. Other locations for this fossil include Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada; Texas, Tennessee, California and Alaska, USA; Spain, France, and Germany.
The clam had a thick shell paved with "prisms" of
calcite deposited perpendicular to the surface, which gave it a pearly luster in life. Most species have prominent growth lines which appear as raised semicircles concentric to the growing edge of the shell. Paleontologists suggest that the giant size of some species was an adaptation for life in the murky bottom waters, with a correspondingly large gill area that would have allowed the animal to cope with oxygen-deficient waters.
The number of valid species is disputed. The
taxonomy of the inoceramids is also disputed, with genera such as
Platyceramus sometimes classified as
subgenus within
Inoceramus.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Inoceramus'.
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