Conulariida
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Conulariida are an extinct group of medusozoan cnidarians known from fossils spanning from the latest Ediacaran up until the Late Triassic. They are almost exclusively known from their hard external s
Conulariid 03
Conularia gratiosa 3
Close-up of a conulariid from the Mississippian of Indiana; scale in mm.
Conularia milwaukeensis from the Middle Devonian of Wisconsin.
Durophagy
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Durophagy is the eating behavior of animals that consume hard-shelled or exoskeleton-bearing organisms, such as corals, shelled mollusks, or crabs. It is mostly used to describe fish, but is also used
Conulariida
…by which time they were very rare, with only 8 documented occurrences across the entire Triassic. Their extinction may have been due to the rise of durophagous organisms as part of the Mesozoic marine revolution. In North America, conulariids are generally more common in rocks of Ordovician and Carboniferous…
Jaws and teeth of Rhinoptera bonasus (cownose ray)
This Piaractus brachypomus skull exhibits the durophagous dentition that enables it to crack hard nut shells, instead of animal prey.
Starling Feeding Offspring