Conodonts (extinct Palaeozoic to Triassic marine animals related to early vertebrates) were predators. Their tooth elements (conodont elements, made of calcium phosphate) formed complex apparatuses used to capture, grasp, and process prey. Microwear analysis of conodont elements reveals scratches and pits consistent with predatory feeding on hard-shelled invertebrates and soft prey. Conodonts were active swimmers and among the earliest vertebrates with mineralised feeding structures.