Ammonoid phylogeny

Ammonoid phylogeny refers to the evolutionary history and relationships among ammonoids—marine mollusks with coiled shells that thrived from the Devonian to the end of the Cretaceous period. Scientists study their shell features, suture patterns, and fossil distribution to reconstruct their family trees, showing how different species and groups developed and diverged over time. This helps us understand how ammonoids evolved, adapted to their environments, and eventually went extinct. Their evolutionary history provides insights into marine ecosystems of the past and the processes of speciation and extinction in ocean life.