Paleontology: Assignment#5

Introduction to Cephalopods and its occurrence in Pakistan

Submitted by Eesha Ahmed, BS Geology 3rd Semester

Submitted to Hafiz Tariq Ahmad, Lecturer in NJC

Cephalopods: Introduction:

Morphology:
They have univalve conical shell. They are exclusively marine and predatory (possibly planktonivores in some
ammonoids). They are the most sophisticated brains among invertebrates and among highest level of activity
among invertebrates as well. They have ‘Camerate’ (chambered) shell; which may be straight (orthocone),
slightly curved (cyrtocone), coiled, or complicated (heteromorph). They have beaks composed of chitin and
protiens. They ancestrally had four bipectinate gills. And their age ranges from Late Cambrian to Holocene.
Basalmost form: Plectronoceras of Upper Cambrian
They are not fully camerate and slightly cyrtocone. They may have been epifaunal benthic algal scrapers.
The basal shelled cephalopods have been collectively called "nautiloids", a paraphyletic grade. Ranging from
the Ordovician to today, "nautiloids" have rather simple suture lines. Ancestrally orthocone, cephalopod shells
would have been vertically oriented (something nearly EVERY life restoration gets wrong!) due to the center of
buoyancy compared to the center of gravity. Different clades attempted to "lateralize" or "horizontalize" the
body through different means: for instance, some have cameral deposits (addition of calcareous material into the
camerae to weigh-down the ventral size). Additional at least some form have ectochlear (external-to-shell)
tissues
Some of the notable "nautiloid" groups:
Endocerida
Their age belongs to Ordovician-Silurian. Orthocones capable of reaching IMMENSE size (4-6 m long; claims
of 9+ m have been suggested but unsubstantiated): Earth's first giant predators. Horizontal balance achieved by
extraordinarily wide siphuncle: the endocone. A recent suggestion is that they may have been suspension
feeders. The idea isn't crazy, as many of the largest representatives of clades (radiodont panarthropods,
essentially all major fish groups (placoderms, chondrichthyians, actinopteryigans) and even whales) have been
suspension feeders. However, lack of knowledge of their soft tissue makes this very difficult to assess.
Actinocerida
Their age belongs to Mid-Ordovician through Carboniferous, with peak in the Silurian. The orthocones are up
to 2 m long. They are extraordinarily heavy and complex siphuncle with cameral deposits.
Discosorida
Their age belongs to Mid-Ordovician to Late Devonian. They have short cyrtocones. They have very small
apertures, suggesting lifestyle and soft tissue morphology different than typical cephalopods.
Nautilida
Their age belongs to Early Devonian through today. They are planispiral, carnivorous and have 4 bipectinate
gills (inferred to be present for all "nautiloids"). They are limited to today to two genera: Nautilus (chambered
nautilus: involute) and Allonautilus (fuzzy nautilus: evolute).
Orthocerida:
Their age belongs to Middle Ordovician to Triassic. They have orthocones (no surprise, given the name) or are
slightly cyrtocone; they also have cameral deposits &/or water ballast to horizontalize
Ascocerida
Their age group belongs to Ordovician and Silurian. They have Cyrtocone as juveniles, but...Decidious cones!!
They achieve an adult size with extremely large living chamber, and drop off old orthoconic/cyrtoconic section
(An independently evolved in some orthocerids). They are the first attempt at a small fast streamlined nektonic
cephalopod hunter.