Teredina Explained

Teredina is an extinct genus of fossil bivalve mollusc that lived from the Late Cretaceous to the late Pliocene in Asia, Europe, and North America.[1]

Teredina shells consist of 2 short, hooked valves with a pair of furrows and each valve with transverse ridges.[2] The overall body was long and clud-shaped. Teredina used the ridges on each valve to bore into driftwood by rocking back and forth; its long body shape allowed for large intestines for it to carry bacteria capable of breaking down the cellulose in the wood.[2] Petrified drift wood with Teridina burrows can be found in the Cretaceous rocks of Vancouver Island.[2]

References

Notes and References

  1. http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=18508 Teredina
  2. Ludvigsen, Rolf & Beard, Graham. 1997. West Coast Fossils: A Guide to the Ancient Life of Vancouver Island. pg. 107