Unveiling the Fascinating Phylloceratidae: A Jurassic-Cretaceous Cephalopod Family

Phylloceratidae is a family of ammonite cephalopods that lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, around 150 to 120 million years ago. They were characterized by their distinctive shells, which had a long, slender shape with a spiral structure. The name Phylloceratidae comes from the Greek words "phyllo" meaning "leaf" and "ceratid" meaning "horned", in reference to the leaf-like shape of the shells.

Phylloceratids were likely pelagic animals that lived in open ocean environments, as their shells are not found in shallow marine deposits. They were likely active predators, using their long tentacles to catch prey such as fish and squid. The family includes several genera, including Phylloceras, Pachyrhyncus, and Protostega.