Foraminifera

Foraminifera are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of Rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly an external shell called a test of diverse forms and materials. Tests of chitin are believed to be the most primitive type. Most foraminifera are marine, the majority of which live on or within the seafloor sediment, while a smaller number float in the water column at various depths, which belong to the suborder Globigerinina. Fewer are known from freshwater or brackish conditions, and some very few (nonaquatic) soil species have been identified through molecular analysis of small subunit ribosomal DNA.

Foraminifera

Scott Fay · CC BY 2.5 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
foramPBDB
Sits inside
RhizariaPBDB
Diet
omnivorePBDB
Life habit
semi-infaunalPBDB
Motility
stationaryPBDB

Time the record covers

At least 528 million years on record.

The record covers at least 529 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 538.8 Mya to 0 Mya.

Cambrian — about 13 of 12000 occurrencesCambrianOrdovician — about 5 of 12000 occurrencesSilurian — about 6 of 12000 occurrencesDevonian — about 188 of 12000 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 1324 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 808 of 12000 occurrencesPermianEarly Triassic — about 19 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 253 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 615 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Jurassic — about 281 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 677 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 476 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 504 of 12000 occurrencesLate Cretaceous — about 4288 of 12000 occurrencesPaleocene — about 1225 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 590 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 186 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 237 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 118 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 101 of 12000 occurrences550–531 Mya — about 2 occurrences531–513 Mya — about 10 occurrences513–495 Mya — about 1 occurrence476–458 Mya — about 5 occurrences458–440 Mya — about 0.8 occurrences440–421 Mya — about 5 occurrences421–403 Mya — about 8 occurrences403–385 Mya — about 28 occurrences385–366 Mya — about 136 occurrences366–348 Mya — about 67 occurrences348–330 Mya — about 499 occurrences330–311 Mya — about 389 occurrences311–293 Mya — about 451 occurrences293–275 Mya — about 83 occurrences275–256 Mya — about 493 occurrences256–238 Mya — about 384 occurrences238–220 Mya — about 308 occurrences220–202 Mya — about 356 occurrences202–183 Mya — about 263 occurrences183–165 Mya — about 303 occurrences165–147 Mya — about 823 occurrences147–128 Mya — about 287 occurrences128–110 Mya — about 172 occurrences110–92 Mya — about 147 occurrences92–73 Mya — about 72 occurrences73–55 Mya — about 5400 occurrences55–37 Mya — about 417 occurrences37–18 Mya — about 381 occurrences18–0 Mya — about 507 occurrences529 Mya11.7 ka550 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Foraminifera on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 383 formations

El Haria — 36.19°N, 8.71°EEl Haria — 35.95°N, 9.10°EDakhla — 26.45°N, 27.83°EDakhla — 26.35°N, 33.02°EDhruma — 24.23°N, 46.58°EDhruma — 24.89°N, 46.58°EDhruma — 26.25°N, 44.82°EDhruma — 23.97°N, 45.17°EDhruma — 23.53°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 22.83°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 22.62°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 22.45°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 25.50°N, 45.00°EDhruma — 23.80°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 23.97°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 22.83°N, 46.83°EDhruma — 21.88°N, 45.67°EDhruma — 22.17°N, 45.83°EDhruma — 23.08°N, 46.17°EDhruma — 23.08°N, 46.33°EDhruma — 24.75°N, 46.08°EDhruma — 24.75°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 25.05°N, 45.67°EDhruma — 25.17°N, 45.50°EDhruma — 26.20°N, 44.83°EDhruma — 25.92°N, 44.97°EDhruma — 25.58°N, 45.00°EDhruma — 25.78°N, 45.25°EDhruma — 25.70°N, 45.00°EDhruma — 23.97°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 22.17°N, 46.83°EDhruma — 22.05°N, 46.00°EDhruma — 25.37°N, 45.50°EDhruma — 25.70°N, 45.67°EAmsden — 43.77°N, 110.88°WAmsden — 41.81°N, 107.30°WAmsden — 41.83°N, 107.24°WAmsden — 41.92°N, 107.34°WAmsden — 43.66°N, 109.60°WAmsden — 43.51°N, 107.46°WAmsden — 44.88°N, 107.35°WAmsden — 44.88°N, 107.39°WAmsden — 42.40°N, 110.32°WAmsden — 42.87°N, 110.79°WTuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 24.52°N, 46.41°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 24.30°N, 46.53°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 23.90°N, 46.53°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 23.55°N, 46.00°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 23.08°N, 46.33°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 22.83°N, 46.33°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 22.62°N, 46.50°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 22.43°N, 46.42°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 21.88°N, 45.67°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 21.62°N, 45.50°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 20.25°N, 45.17°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 19.50°N, 45.17°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 18.17°N, 45.50°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 24.75°N, 46.08°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 25.05°N, 45.67°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 25.37°N, 45.50°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 25.78°N, 45.25°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 26.03°N, 45.00°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 26.20°N, 44.83°ETuwaiq Mt.Lst. — 26.33°N, 45.00°ESan Cassiano — 46.53°N, 11.42°ENaujoji Akmené — 55.75°N, 22.50°ENaujoji Akmené — 56.25°N, 22.08°ENaujoji Akmené — 55.72°N, 23.07°ENaujoji Akmené — 56.00°N, 23.67°ENaujoji Akmené — 55.30°N, 21.00°ENaujoji Akmené — 54.55°N, 22.80°ESecond Abden Shale — 56.07°N, 3.17°WHanifa — 23.90°N, 46.28°EHanifa — 23.50°N, 46.85°EHanifa — 23.08°N, 46.53°EHanifa — 22.75°N, 46.63°EHanifa — 22.08°N, 46.63°EHanifa — 22.60°N, 46.37°EHanifa — 22.08°N, 45.90°EHanifa — 21.83°N, 46.13°EHanifa — 21.58°N, 45.63°EHanifa — 21.08°N, 45.68°EHanifa — 24.08°N, 46.68°EHanifa — 24.27°N, 46.78°EHanifa — 24.52°N, 45.95°EHanifa — 24.83°N, 46.00°EHanifa — 24.95°N, 46.15°EHanifa — 25.17°N, 46.15°EHanifa — 25.63°N, 45.67°EHanifa — 26.03°N, 45.17°EHanifa — 26.33°N, 45.00°EPaksa — 73.00°N, 113.00°EWewoka — 35.04°N, 96.36°WForaker Limestone — 39.37°N, 95.88°WForaker Limestone — 39.17°N, 96.55°WForaker Limestone — 39.02°N, 96.27°WForaker Limestone — 38.91°N, 96.08°WForaker Limestone — 38.77°N, 96.03°WForaker Limestone — 38.48°N, 96.27°WForaker Limestone — 38.37°N, 96.63°WForaker Limestone — 38.02°N, 96.28°WForaker Limestone — 37.54°N, 96.48°WForaker Limestone — 37.25°N, 96.54°WForaker Limestone — 37.09°N, 96.57°WForaker Limestone — 39.38°N, 96.40°WForaker Limestone — 39.25°N, 96.19°WForaker Limestone — 39.07°N, 96.12°WForaker Limestone — 39.85°N, 95.67°WForaker Limestone — 39.14°N, 96.31°WForaker Limestone — 37.82°N, 96.46°WForaker Limestone — 39.92°N, 95.67°WForaker Limestone — 39.34°N, 96.05°WForaker Limestone — 38.72°N, 96.16°WForaker Limestone — 37.65°N, 96.46°WForaker Limestone — 37.25°N, 96.53°WForaker Limestone — 39.90°N, 95.91°WForaker Limestone — 38.81°N, 96.08°WDachstein — 47.58°N, 14.47°EDachstein — 47.50°N, 13.50°EJanesville Shale — 38.31°N, 95.30°WJanesville Shale — 39.28°N, 96.43°WJanesville Shale — 39.24°N, 96.18°WJanesville Shale — 39.15°N, 96.46°WJanesville Shale — 39.10°N, 96.37°WJanesville Shale — 39.08°N, 96.13°WJanesville Shale — 39.05°N, 96.22°WJanesville Shale — 38.93°N, 96.05°WJanesville Shale — 38.82°N, 96.05°WJanesville Shale — 38.67°N, 96.12°WJanesville Shale — 38.48°N, 96.28°WJanesville Shale — 38.37°N, 96.33°WJanesville Shale — 38.03°N, 96.28°WJanesville Shale — 37.56°N, 96.56°WJanesville Shale — 37.46°N, 96.41°WJanesville Shale — 37.24°N, 96.56°WJanesville Shale — 37.25°N, 96.53°WJanesville Shale — 37.09°N, 96.57°Wfahdène — 36.57°N, 8.77°EMuldraugh — 40.04°N, 86.87°WRosefield — 31.89°N, 92.00°WSchnöll — 47.70°N, 13.17°ELa Pasada — 35.67°N, 105.28°WEdwardsville — 39.50°N, 86.50°WEdwardsville — 39.75°N, 86.67°WEdwardsville — 39.00°N, 86.33°WEdwardsville — 39.04°N, 86.50°WDuwi — 30.05°N, 31.25°EJubaila Lst. — 24.84°N, 46.25°EJubaila Lst. — 22.63°N, 46.47°EJubaila Lst. — 22.37°N, 46.53°EJubaila Lst. — 25.33°N, 46.15°EJubaila Lst. — 25.47°N, 45.47°EJubaila Lst. — 22.73°N, 46.63°EJubaila Lst. — 26.42°N, 45.00°EPlassen — 47.58°N, 13.98°EPlassen — 47.58°N, 13.92°EVilemovice Limestone — 49.23°N, 16.76°E

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The named rock units Foraminifera has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 359 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 1,363 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

2,087 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 667 sites for Foraminifera, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 401 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 389 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Foraminifera

Credit
Scott Fay
Licence
CC BY 2.5
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC Attribution-NonCommercial
Commercial use
the licence does not allow it

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itRhizaria through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Eichwald 1830)