Inoceramus

The taxonomy of the inoceramids is disputed, with genera such as Platyceramus sometimes classified as subgenus within Inoceramus. Also the number of valid species in this genus is disputed. == Description ==

Inoceramids had thick shells composed of "prisms" of calcite deposited perpendicular to the surface, and unweathered fossils commonly preserve the mother-of-pearl luster the shells had in life. 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 survive in oxygen-deficient waters. == Selected species ==

• †I. aequicostatus • †I. albertensis • †I. altifluminis • †I. americanus • †I. andinus • †I. anglicus • †I. anilis • †I. anomalus • †I. anomiaeformis • †I. apicalis • †I. arvanus • †I. bellvuensis • †I. biformis • †I. brownei • †I. carsoni • †I. comancheanus • †I. confertim • †I. constellatus • †I. corpulentus • †I. coulthardi • †I. cuvieri • †I. dakotensis • †I. dominguesi • †I. dowlingi • †I. dunveganensis • †I. elburzensis • †I. everesti • †I. fibrosus • †I. formosulus • †I. fragilis • †I. frechi • †I. galoi • †I. gibbosus • †I. ginterensis • †I. glacierensis • †I. haast • †I. howelli • †I. incelebratus • †I. inconditus • †I. kystatymensis • †I. lamarcki • †I. lateris • †I. mesabiensis • †I. morii • †I. multiformis • †I. mytiliformis • †I. nipponicus • †I. perplexus • †I. pictus • †I. pontoni • †I. porrectus • †I. prefragilis • †I. proximus'' • †I. pseudolucifer • †I. quenstedti • †I. robertsoni • †I. saskatchewanensis • †I. selwyni • †I. sokolovi • †I. steenstrupi • †I. steinmanni • †I. subdepressus • †I. tenuirostratus • †I. triangularis'' • †I. undabundus • †I. undulato • †I. ussuriensis == Distribution ==

Species of Inoceramus had a worldwide distribution during the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods (from 189.6 to 66.043 Ma). British Columbia, Colombia (Hiló Formation, Tolima and La Frontera Formation, Boyacá, Cundinamarca and Huila). == Gallery ==

File:InoceramusCretaceousSouthDakota.jpg|Inoceramus from the Cretaceous of South Dakota File:Inoceramidae - Inoceramus proximus.JPG|Inoceramus proximus File:Inoceramus cuvieri Palaeontological exhibition Prague.jpg|Inoceramus cuvieri File:Inoceramus vancouverensis 1.jpg|Inoceramus vancouverensis File:Inoceramus hobetsensis - National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo - DSC06954.JPG|Inoceramus hobetsensis == References ==