Any marine single-celled organism that produces coccoliths, tiny calcium carbonate plates, as part of its protective outer shell.
From coccus (berry), lithos (stone), and phorida (bearing, from Greek pherein to carry). The name literally means 'stone-berry carrier,' describing their function.
Coccolithophores are among the most successful organisms on Earth—they've been making their armor from ocean minerals for over 200 million years and still dominate phytoplankton today.
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