Introduction

This chapter defines larger benthic Foraminifera and summarizes the developments in larger foraminiferal studies. Larger Foraminifera research progressed gradually from early discoveries in the nineteenth century by people from all walks of life, including army, medical, and marine engineers, who followed it as a hobby. It increased significantly in the twentieth century with essential works on Systematics. The oil industry further developed it for its excellent applicability in subsurface stratigraphy of carbonateCarbonates reservoirs. The samples studied by many of the founders of this science are housed in major natural history museums of the world. The chapter also discusses the methodology employed to examine larger benthic Foraminifera, such as sample collecting and oriented section preparation.