Promissum

Promissum is an extinct genus of conodonts, primitive chordates, that lived during the Upper Ordovician period.

Promissum Temporal range: Upper Ordovician PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Infraphylum:	Agnatha
Class:	†Conodonta
Family:	†Balognathidae
Genus:	†Promissum Kovacs-Endrody, 1986
Species:	†P. pulchrum
Binomial name
†Promissum pulchrum Kovacs-Endrody, 1986

A conodont, Promissum had a primitive mouth under its eyes with mineralized teeth, which are both typical for conodonts. It had a primitive backbone and probably looked like a small eel or large worm, lacking any kind of fins except for perhaps a small one on the tail. It was relatively large for a conodont, reaching about 40 cm (16 inch) in length.^[2]

Well-preserved specimens were discovered in the Soom shale of South Africa in 1994.^[3]

Promissum was probably capable of maintaining a cruising speed, but not of bursts of speed.^[3]