ADAPTATION TO THE HABITAT

Both ammonites come from the Middle Jurassic of the Swabian Jura, but their shell shapes could hardly be more different: The diameter and width of the thick Teloceras are almost identical, the surface is heavily ribbed and it bears large knobs on its flanks. The Staufenia, on the other hand, is more reminiscent of a slender discus disk, has a razor-sharp keel and its shell is completely smooth.

All these features are adaptations to the specific habitat: the thick Teloceras would have been carried away by the first gentle current in the open sea – it lived close to the sea floor. The slender Staufenia, on the other hand, offered little resistance to the current and was able to move actively in higher water levels.