The Extinct Belemnite Species

Belemnites were a group of extinct cephalopods that lived during the Mesozoic era. They were marine animals with a hard, internal shell called a guard. Belemnites ranged in size from a few centimeters to over a meter in length. These creatures were active predators, using their tentacles to capture prey.

The guard of a belemnite is a bullet-shaped structure made of calcite. It is often the only part of the animal that is preserved in the fossil record. Belemnites were abundant in the seas of the Mesozoic era and played an important role in the marine ecosystem as both predator and prey.

Despite their abundance during the Mesozoic era, belemnites went extinct around 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. The exact cause of their extinction is not known, but it is likely that changes in the environment, such as climate change or competition from other species, played a role in their demise.