Inoceramus is an extinct genus of Inoceramid clam that lived from the Early Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. Fossils of the genus have been found worldwide, with some notable locations where it has been found including the Niobrara Formation and Pierre Shale of the Western Interior Seaway and the Gault Formation in England.
Description[]
Inoceramus shells typically sport prominent raised growth lines which are used to help identify fossils of them.[1] Their shells are particularly large with many species typically reaching sizes of up to a meter (3 ft 3 in) in length. A specimen collected in 1952 from late Cretaceous rocks in Greenland reached a length of 1.87 meters (6 ft 2 in) in length.[2]
Classification[]
Inoceramus was a member of the family Inoceramidae, which includes other similarly large clams such as Cladoceramus, Platyceramus, and Volviceramus.