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Globotruncana falsostuarti

Globotruncana falsostuarti -- a foram that lived about 75 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period.
(Brian T. Huber/Smithsonian Institution)

Globotruncana falsostuarti -- a foram that lived about 75 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, from southeastern Tanzania. By measuring the chemistry in the shell, scientists can estimate sea surface temperatures at the time when these organisms lived and learn more about our changing climate. For this specimen, they calculate that it lived in 28°C (82°F) seawater. More about climate change can be found in our climate change featured story.