Editing Conodont (section)

=== Diet ===
Because they are associated with the oral region of the conodont animal, it is accepted that conodont elements are used in the acquisition of food. Two primary [[Hypothesis|hypotheses]] have arisen as to how this is accomplished. One hypothesis proposed that elements acted as support structures for filamentous soft-tissues.<ref name="Nicoli">{{cite journal |last=Nicoli |first=R.S. |year=1985 |title=Multielement composition of the conodont species ''Polygnathus xylus xylus'' {{small|(Stauffer, 1940)}} and ''Ozarkodina brevis'' {{small|(Bischoff and Ziegler, 1957)}} from the Upper Devonian of the Canning basin, Western Australia |journal=Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics |volume=9 |pages=133–147}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> These small filaments (cilia) would be used to filter small [[Plankton|planktonic]] organisms out of the water column, analogous to the [[cnidoblast]] cells of a [[coral]] or the [[lophophore]] of a [[brachiopod]].

Another hypothesis contests that the conodont elements were used to actively catch and process prey.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Goudemand" /> S and M&nbsp;elements could have been independently movable, allowing prey to be captured in the oral region of the animal. Modern hagfish and lampreys scrape at flesh using [[Keratin|keratinous]] blades supported by a simple but effective pulley-like system, involving a string of muscles around a [[Cartilage|cartilaginous]] core. An equivalent system might have been present in conodonts.<ref name="Goudemand" /> S and M elements would be able to open and close at will to firmly grasp or pinch at prey, before rotating back to consume the prey element. The blade-like P&nbsp;elements deeper in the throat would process the food by slicing against their counterparts like a pair of scissors,<ref name="Goudemand" /> or grinding against each other like [[Molar (tooth)|molar teeth]].

Current consensus supports the latter hypothesis in which elements are used for predation, not [[suspension feeding]].<ref name="Gabbott-1995" /> One line of evidence for this includes the isometric growth pattern exhibited by S, M, and P&nbsp;elements.<ref name=":1" /> If the conodont animal relied upon a filter feeding strategy then this growth pattern would not provide the necessary surface area needed to support ciliated tissue as the animal grew. There is some evidence for cartilaginous structures similar to those present in modern jawless fish, which are both [[Predator|predators]] and [[Scavenger|scavengers]].<ref name="Goudemand" /> Wear on some conodont elements suggests that they functioned like teeth, with both wear marks likely created by food as well as by [[Occlusion (dentistry)|occlusion]] with other elements.<ref name="Gabbott-1995" /><ref name="Terrill-2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Terrill |first1=David F. |last2=Jarochowska |first2=Emilia |last3=Henderson |first3=Charles M. |last4=Shirley |first4=Bryan |last5=Bremer |first5=Oskar |date=2022-04-08 |title=Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios support trophic partitioning within a Silurian conodont community from Gotland, Sweden |journal=Paleobiology |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=601–621 |doi=10.1017/pab.2022.9 |s2cid=248062641 |issn=0094-8373|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Pbio...48..601T }}</ref>

It is possible that multiple feeding strategies may have arisen in different groups of conodonts, as they are a diverse clade. A 2009 paper suggested that the genus ''[[Panderodus]]'' may have utilized [[venom]] in the acquisition of prey.<ref name="Szaniawski">{{cite journal |last=Szaniawski |first=H. |year=2009 |title=The earliest known venomous animals recognized among conodonts |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=669–676 |doi=10.4202/app.2009.0045 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Evidence of longitudinal grooves are present on some conodont elements associated with the feeding apparatus of this particular animal. These sorts of grooves are analogous to those present in some extant groups of venomous vertebrates.