brachiopod
Two-shelled marine invertebrate
A brachiopod is a marine invertebrate with two hinged shells enclosing the body—superficially resembling a clam but unrelated to mollusks.
Brachiopods attach to rocks or seafloor sediment by a fleshy stalk.
Once abundant in ancient seas, they left extensive fossil records but are far less common today: The limestone was packed with brachiopod fossils.
Preserved ancient organism
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
fossilization · extinction · sediment · dig · specimen · excavation · preservation · impression
Hard outer covering
- valveFluid flow controller
- pedicleNarrow tissue stalk
- mantleCovering or wrap
- articulateExpress clearly, or well-spoken
inarticulate · hinge · calcite · chitin · foramen · commissure
Earliest Paleozoic period
- OrdovicianPaleozoic geological period
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
- CarboniferousCoal-depositing geological period
Permian · Paleozoic · Mesozoic · Triassic · Jurassic · Cretaceous · evolution · primordial
Ocean's solid base
- benthicOf the sea bottom
- sessileAttached at base
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- attachmentConnection or fondness
filter feeder · ocean · reef · sediment · continental shelf · shallow sea · marine invertebrate · hydrothermal vent
Major classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
- orderMethodical arrangement or request
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- bryozoanColonial aquatic invertebrate
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
stratigraphy · fossilization · extinction · sediment · dig · specimen · excavation · preservation · impression · cast
shell
Hard outer covering
articulate · inarticulate · hinge · calcite · chitin · foramen · commissure
Cambrian
Earliest Paleozoic period
- OrdovicianPaleozoic geological period
- SilurianPaleozoic period, mid-range
- DevonianGeologic period, 419-359 million years ago
Carboniferous · Permian · Paleozoic · Mesozoic · Triassic · Jurassic · Cretaceous · evolution · primordial · ancestral
seafloor
Ocean's solid base
attachment · filter feeder · ocean · reef · sediment · continental shelf · shallow sea · marine invertebrate · hydrothermal vent
phylum
Major classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
- orderMethodical arrangement or request
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean, arachnids
- fossilsdinosaur bones, ammonite, amber, ammonites, fossils
- prehistoric lifedinosaur, dinosaurs, triceratops, Velociraptor, velociraptor
- sea creaturescrab, lobster, shrimp, jellyfish, octopus
- shelled animalssnail, clam, oyster, mussel, scallop
- British geologychalk, flint, limestone, shale, sandstone