Inoceramus cuvieri

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Inoceramus cuvieri is an extinct species of a large shellfish in the bivalve group Inoceramus. It lived during the Turonian age of the Cretaceous period in Europe and North America and is used by scientists to identify chalky rocks from that time.

What it looked like
- The shells are usually brown and can be shiny.
- Immature shells are not completely flat and have a high hump at the shell’s hinge (the umbo); they also have thinner growth lines, making them fragile.
- Mature shells are flat and can grow up to about 1 meter in length, with thicker shells.

Where it lived
- It occupied shallow, temperate inland seas with normal salt levels.
- The seafloor was calcareous mud, and depths could reach around 300 meters, deep enough for clear water and little wave action.

Ecology
- Large shells were often encrusted by other organisms, such as Ostrea congesta and Serpula species, showing that these shells provided hard surfaces for colonizers.

Where it is found
- Inoceramus cuvieri is found in middle Turonian rocks across Europe and the Western Interior Seaway of North America.
- In the High Plains of North America, it helps identify rock layers like the lower Carlile Shale and upper Greenhorn Limestone, as well as related beds of the Mancos Shale. Juvenile shells are especially common in the Fencepost limestone bed.