noun
- an extinct marine animal with eel-like body that lived from the Cambrian to Triassic periods, known primarily from fossilized tooth-like feeding structures
Usage: paleontology
Examples
- Conodonts were among the first vertebrates to evolve.
- The tiny conodont fossils are important for dating rock layers.
- Scientists discovered well-preserved conodont specimens in Scotland.
- Conodont elements are commonly found in limestone formations.
- The conodont’s feeding apparatus consisted of multiple tooth-like structures.
- Paleontologists use conodonts as index fossils for the Paleozoic era.