Definition of ammonites Ammonites

/æˈmʌnajˌts/ - [atmunayts] - Am•mo•nites

We found 3 definitions of ammonites from 2 different sources.

What does ammonites mean?

Wiktionary

ammonites (Noun)
Plural of ammonite.

Part of speech

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ammonites, noun, plural of ammonite.

WordNet

Noun Plural: ammonites
ammonite - one of the coiled chambered fossil shells of extinct mollusks
		ammonoid
		fossil the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil

= synonym
= antonym
= related word

Wiktionary

ammonite (Noun)
An explosive prepared from ammonium nitrate ; amatol.
ammonite (Noun)
Any of an extinct group of cephalopods of the subfamily Ammonoidea; a fossil shell of such an animal.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

ammonite (n.)
A fossil cephalopod shell related to the nautilus. There are many genera and species, and all are extinct, the typical forms having existed only in the Mesozoic age, when they were exceedingly numerous. They differ from the nautili in having the margins of the septa very much lobed or plaited, and the siphuncle dorsal. Also called serpent stone, snake stone, and cornu Ammonis.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

ammonite
am′mon-īt, n. the fossil shell of an extinct genus of molluscs, so called because they resemble the horns on the statue of Jupiter Ammon, worshipped as a ram

Wikipedia

Ammonite are molluscs perhaps the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form shell as pictured above. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. They belong to a group of predators known as cephalopods, which includes their living relatives the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. The name 'Ammonite' originates from the Greek Ram-horned god called Ammon.

Origins.

These sea creatures first appeared 415 million years ago in the form of a small, straight shelled creature, known as Bacrites. They quickly evolved into a variety of shapes and sizes including some shaped like hairpins. During their evolution the ammonites faced no less than three catastrophic events that would eventually lead to their extinction. The first event occurred during the Permian (250 million years ago), where only 10% survived. These surviving species went on to flourish throughout the Triassic, however at the end of this period (206 million years ago) they faced near extinction, when all but one species survived. This event marked the end of the Triassic and the beginning of the Jurassic, during which time the number of ammonite species grew once more. The final catastrophe occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period when all species were annihilated and the ammonites became extinct. This event apparently coincided with the death of the dinosaurs.

Life.

Ammonites began life as tiny planktonic cre