Benthic organisms are invaluable in the interpretation of ancient environments. The principles of animal behaviour at and below the substrate surface (e.g. encrustation, burrowing, boring, feeding) are well established. Three areas in particular are currently being developed: (1) Ichnofabrics are replacing ichnofacies in facies interpretation. The use of archetypal ichnofacies is abandoned in favour of an integrated approach (including palynology and geochemical analysis), using autecology followed by synecology and synthesis, and ichnofabric analysis; this provides greater resolution; (2) Comparisons of deep-sea studies with ancient bathyal sediments are leading to a better understanding of turbidite facies: the factors involved in the formation of the complex tiering of the pre-event ichnocoenoses and those involved in the colonization of the turbidite. The morphology and ethology of several shallow and deep-water ichnotaxa (e.g. Zoophycos, Paleodictyon) are still imperfectly understood; (3) The fabric of shell and skeletal concentrations reflects the dynamics of the final depositional environment, and the taphonomic signature, in the main, the environmental conditions under which the shells formed and accumulated. Together, these aspects, and their relative stratigraphic frequency, reflect regional patterns of hydraulics and basin dynamics. Advances in the appreciation of time-averaging should provide renewed interest in research into palaeocommunities. The stratigraphical distribution of hardgrounds remains an enigma and their potential significance for basin analysis awaits full evaluation. Two groups of hardground are recognized: whether they formed under omission and wave bevelling, or solely under omission.