Anthracoceras beargulchensis w/ Jaws-Montana-BG75

Taxa: Anthracoceras beargulchensis

Age: Carboniferous-Mississippian

Geology: Heath Limestone-Bear Gulch Member

Locality: Fergus County, Montana

Anthracoceras beargulchensis

Anthracoceras is a genus of extinct ammonoids, belonging to the family Anthracoceratidae. Anthracoceras had a coiled, planispiral shell, typical of ammonoids. Its shell was often elaborately ornamented with ribs and tubercles. The size and specific features of the shell could vary between species within the genus.  Like other ammonoids, Anthracoceras was likely a predator, using its tentacles to catch smaller marine organisms such as plankton and small fish.

Anthracoceras lived in marine environments during the late Paleozoic era, specifically the Carboniferous period. These seas were warm and shallow, providing a suitable habitat for the genus.

Bear Gulch Limestone

The Bear Gulch Limestone is a fossil-rich geological formation located in Montana, USA, known for its exceptional preservation of marine fossils from the Mississippian subperiod of the Carboniferous period, approximately 330 million years ago.

The dark spot at the opening of this specimen is the ammonoid's jaws, which normally aren't preserved.