Research Articles » Metacoceras

Metacoceras is a genus of cephalopod found in the Upper Carboniferous until it’s extinction in the Permian. First described by Hyatt in 1883, the genus includes several distinct species that have been found in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Metacoceras Temporal Range

The genus is found from around the mid Pennsylvanian Carboniferous through nearly the entirety of the Permian. The Permian / Triassic (P-T) mass extinction event wiped it and 96 percent of all marine species from planet Earth. Pangaea was present in a very solid form. Parks Township, if laid upon this map would be nearly in between the shorelines of the Panthalassic Ocean, the name for the super-ocean that surrounded Pangaea. Local specimens collected here were long expired and locked in limestone. The genus persisted in the seas until the extinction event.

While it is mostly known why marine creatures died during this event, it’s still up for debate. One Theory is too much CO₂ in the air was a large factor, as it is 28 more times soluble in water than is oxygen. The CO₂ can disrupt basic life functions and make ocean waters more acidic.

References

• Permian-Triassic Extinction Event – Wikipedia
• Pangaea – Wikipedia