Presentation description

Basic conch geometry roughly constrains how different ammonites could balance and swim. But it remains unclear what costs - or advantages - are added by complex ribbing and other conch ornamentation. We present a case study with juvenile scaphite ammonites from the Western Interior Seaway of the Late Cretaceous. Scaphitid conchs typically change shape considerably through ontogeny. Research analyzed the various streamlining effects of varies morphology across width and ornamentation.