Plural of ceratite; multiple extinct marine cephalopod mollusks with distinctive ribbed shells from the Triassic period.
Plural form of ceratite, from Greek κέρας (keras) + -ite (fossil). The plural form appears consistently in paleontological literature since the 19th century.
Ceratites are so abundant in some Triassic rock formations that you can find hundreds in a single cliff face—they literally built some of the rock layers we see today through their endless accumulation.
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