Acanthoplites is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the Ammonite

Ammonite

Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct subclass within the Molluscan class Cephalopoda which are more closely related to living coleoids Ammonite, as a zoological or paleontological term, refers to any member of the Ammonoidea an extinct...

 subclass. Like many other Ammonites, Acanthoplites was a marine nektonic carnivore.

Fossil Record

The most commonly preserved remains of Acanthoplites are the animals' shells, which were composed of Aragonite

Aragonite

Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the two common, naturally occurring, crystal forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO3...

. This animal first appears in rocks dating to the late Aptian

Aptian

The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch or series and encompasses the time from 125.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 112.0 ± 1.0 Ma , approximately...

 portion of the Cretaceous Period. This means that Acanthoplites fossils are 112-125 million years old. No fossils of Acanthoplites have been found post-dating the Aptian. Remains from this genus have been found on multiple continents in the nations of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

Species

• A. aegis
• A. barryana
• A. crassicostatus
• A. gardneri
• A. gragasensis
• A. perrini
• A. spathi
• A. seunesi
• A. uhligi