| Promissum Temporal range: [1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Infraphylum: | Agnatha |
| Class: | † Conodonta |
| Family: | † Balognathidae |
| Genus: | † Promissum Kovacs-Endrody, 1986 |
| Species: | †P. pulchrum |
| Binomial name | |
| †Promissum pulchrum Kovacs-Endrody, 1986 | |
Promissum is an extinct genus of conodonts, primitive chordates, that lived during the Upper Ordovician period.
A conodont, Promissum had a primitive mouth under its eyes with mineralized teeth, which are both typical for conodonts. It had a primitive backbone and probably looked like a small eel or large worm, lacking any kind of fins except for perhaps a small one on the tail. It was relatively large for a conodont, reaching about 40 cm (16 inch) in length. [2]
Well-preserved specimens were discovered in the Soom shale of South Africa in 1994. [3]
Promissum was probably capable of maintaining a cruising speed, but not of bursts of speed. [3]
