[Geology2] Ammonites' last meal: New light on past marine food chains

Ammonites' last meal: New light on past marine food chains
PhysOrg.com [USA], January 6, 2011

Scientists have discovered direct evidence of the diet of one of the
most important group of ammonites, distant relatives of squids,
octopuses and cuttlefishes. The discovery may bring a new insight on why
they became extinct 65.5 million years ago, at the end of the
Cretaceous. Ammonites are among the world's most well known fossils but
until now, there has been no experimental evidence of their place in the
food chain. Using synchrotron X-rays, a Franco-American team of
scientists led by Isabelle Kruta has discovered exceptionally preserved
mouth organs of ammonites, along with the remains of a meal that show
that these ammonites dined on plankton. Plankton was largely destroyed
in the wake of the same asteroid impact that led to the demise of the
dinosaurs and other species. After losing their source of food,
ammonites and many other marine groups could not survive this
cataclysmic event. The findings are published this week in Science.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-ammonites-meal-marine-food-chains.html

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