Research Article| August 01, 2014 Ammonite extinction and nautilid survival at the end of the Cretaceous Neil H. Landman; Neil H. Landman 1Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stijn Goolaerts; Stijn Goolaerts 2Department of Paleontology, O.D. Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (IRSNB-KBIN), B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar John W.M. Jagt; John W.M. Jagt 3Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, NL-6211 KJ Maastricht, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Elena A. Jagt-Yazykova; Elena A. Jagt-Yazykova 4Uniwersytet Opolski, Zakład Paleobiologii, PL 45-052 Opole, Poland5Saint Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marcin Machalski; Marcin Machalski 6Instytut Paleobiologii, Polska Akademia Nauk, PL 00-818 Warsaw, Poland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Margaret M. Yacobucci Margaret M. Yacobucci 7Department of Geology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2014) 42 (8): 707–710. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35776.1 Article history received: 15 Apr 2014 rev-recd: 28 May 2014 accepted: 02 Jun 2014 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Neil H. Landman, Stijn Goolaerts, John W.M. Jagt, Elena A. Jagt-Yazykova, Marcin Machalski, Margaret M. Yacobucci; Ammonite extinction and nautilid survival at the end of the Cretaceous. Geology 2014;; 42 (8): 707–710. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G35776.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract One of the puzzles about the end-Cretaceous extinctions is why some organisms disappeared and others survived. A notable example is the differential extinction of ammonites and survival of nautilids, the two groups of co-occurring, externally shelled cephalopods at the end of the Cretaceous. To investigate the role of geographic distribution in explaining this outcome, we compiled a database of all the occurrences of ammonites and the nautilid genus Eutrephoceras in the last 0.5 m.y. of the Maastrichtian. We also included recently published data on ammonite genera that appear to have briefly survived into the Paleocene. Using two metrics to evaluate the geographic range of each genus (first, a convex hull encompassing all of the occurrences of each genus, and second, the maximum distance between occurrences for each genus), we documented that most ammonite genera at the end of the Maastrichtian were restricted in their geographic distribution, possibly making them more vulnerable to extinction. The geographic distribution of those genera that may have briefly survived into the Paleocene is significantly greater than that of non-surviving genera, implying that more broadly distributed genera were more resistant to extinction. This pattern is further emphasized by the broad distribution of Eutrephoceras, which matches that of the most widely distributed ammonites at the end of the Maastrichtian. However, even the most widely distributed ammonites eventually succumbed to extinction, whereas Eutrephoceras survived. Evidently, a broad geographic distribution may have initially protected some ammonites against extinction, but it did not guarantee their survival. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.