Two successive predatory attacks on the Late Ordovician (Sandbian) gastropod Deaechospira elliptica

Well-preserved Deaechospira elliptica from the Sandbian of Estonia shows two successive scars. The traces resemble Caedichnus spiralis which is a common predatory trace in gastropod shells. The injuries possibly caused by cephalopods to Paleozoic brachiopods are morphologically similar to the shell damage in D. elliptica, likely caused by cephalopods. The alternative candidates for the trace makers include large durophagous arthropods. The differences in scar morphology suggest that D. elliptica survived attacks by two different species of durophagous predators. D. elliptica was likely a valuable target for the durophagous predators in the Sandbian of Estonia.