Nipponites

Nipponites is an extinct genus of heteromorph ammonites. The shells of Nipponites (primarily N. mirabilis) form "ox-bow" bends, resulting in some of the most bizarre shapes seen among ammonites.

Nipponites Temporal range: Turonian–Santonian[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossils of Nipponites mirabilis from an exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Subclass:	†Ammonoidea
Order:	†Ammonitida
Suborder:	†Ancyloceratina
Family:	†Nostoceratidae
Genus:	†Nipponites Yabe, 1904
Species
N. mirabilis Yabe, 1904 (type species) N. bacchus Matsumoto and Muramoto, 1967 N. occidentalis Ward and Westermann, 1977 N. sachalinensis Kawada, 1929

The ecology of Nipponites, as with many other nostoceratids, is subject to much speculation.

Distribution

Fossils of most species are found primarily in Upper Cretaceous strata of Japan. N. mirabilis is found in Coniacian-aged strata of Japan and possibly Turonian-aged strata in Madagascar.^[2] N. bacchus is found in Upper Cretaceous Hokkaido. Two species are found exclusively outside Japan, N. sachalinensis, which is found in Upper Cretaceous strata of Sakhalin island, and Kamchatka peninsula,^[3] and N. occidentalis, which is known from two shells found in the Turonian-aged Hornbrook Formation of Southern Oregon.^[4]

In popular culture

A Japanese academic institution Paleontological Society of Japan (ja:日本古生物学会) has Nipponites as its symbol. That organization established October 15 as "Fossil Day", according to the date of first description of N. mirabilis and "International Fossil Day" by International Palaeontological Association (not to confuse with National Fossil Day).^[5]

Image gallery

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  N. mirabilis
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  N. mirabilis
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  N. mirabilis