conodonta
/ˌkoʊnəˈdɑntə/
noun
- An extinct group (class) of jawless, eel-like marine animals that lived from the Cambrian to the Triassic periods, known mainly from their tooth-like fossils.
- Scientists study Conodonta to understand early vertebrate evolution.
- The soft body of Conodonta is rarely preserved, so most fossils are just their tiny teeth.
- Conodonta are important index fossils for dating Paleozoic rocks.