noun
- Plural of dendroid; extinct marine animals of the class Graptolithina, characterized by branching, tree-like colonial structures.
Usage: paleontology; technical
Examples
- Dendroids were among the earliest graptolites to appear in the fossil record.
- The branching colonies of dendroids resembled miniature trees preserved in ancient rocks.
- Paleontologists study dendroids to understand the evolution of early colonial marine organisms.
- Dendroids flourished during the Ordovician and Silurian periods.