A Chunky Squid Relative from 160 Million Years Ago
belemnite
An extinct sea animal related to squids and octopuses.
rostrum
A hard inner support that often became a fossil.
Megateuthididae
A belemnite family that was thought to mostly disappear earlier.
What happened
Researchers have described Wyoteuthis linsterorum, a new genus and species from Wyoming, USA. It lived about 160 million years ago. A belemnite was an extinct relative of squids and octopuses. Belemnites usually left long, bullet-shaped fossils. This animal left an unusually short and thick rostrum. A rostrum was a hard internal support inside the animal. Its preserved rostrum measured more than 130 millimeters long. Its front diameter reached about 60 to 70 millimeters. The paper describes it as the thickest belemnite rostrum known so far. A rough reconstruction suggests a total length of 55 to 60 centimeters, including the arms. That estimate is uncertain because the fossil does not preserve every internal part. The study appeared in Papers in Palaeontology.
Background
The fossils came from the Sundance Formation in Wyoming. During the Late Jurassic, this area preserved an inland sea. Belemnite fossils are common there. Collectors even call many ordinary examples squid butts. The new fossils stood out because their hard guards were much broader. Only two specimens are known today. One was noticed in the late 1990s. It then stayed in a museum drawer for years. Fossil collector Cliff Linster found the other specimen. His family donated it to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in 2019.
How researchers identified it
The team used CT scans to look inside both fossils. The scans did not require cutting or damaging them. Researchers compared the rostrum shape and its inner spaces. They also checked the position and angle of the inner opening. Fine grooves and lines near the tip added more evidence. Together, these features placed the animal in Megateuthididae. The species belongs to a new genus named Wyoteuthis. The genus name means a squid from Wyoming. The species name honors the Linster family.
Why it matters
Megateuthididae was a belemnite family that flourished during the Early and Middle Jurassic. Most of its lineages were thought to disappear during the Bathonian. Younger fossils are extremely rare. This Wyoming species lived later, about 160 million years ago. It therefore represents a relict branch that survived after the group’s main decline. The researchers infer a previously unrecognized survival area in the northeastern Pacific region. This does not mean the whole family suddenly returned. It means one branch may have persisted in a place scientists had not recognized.
What remains unknown
The team does not know why this animal evolved such a broad rostrum. One possibility is better hunting of smaller belemnites. The researchers have not proved that explanation. Two fossils cannot show how common the body shape was. The rarity might reflect special prey, a special habitat, or limited sampling. The rostrum also does not directly reveal the animal’s full size. A broad fossil guard did not always belong to a giant animal.
What to watch next
More fossils could test whether the chunky shape was local or widespread. Researchers can also compare new finds with belemnites from other regions. Those comparisons may clarify the family tree and the animal’s habitat. They may also show how long this relict branch survived. For now, the discovery adds a small but important survivor to the Jurassic record.
A Very Thick Fossil Came from an Ancient Squid Relative
📰 Full story: A Chunky Squid Relative from 160 Million Years Ago
Most belemnite fossils are long. This one was short and very thick.
belemnite
An extinct relative of squids and octopuses.
rostrum
A hard support inside the animal.
CT scan
A way to see inside a fossil without cutting it.
💡 The gist
- A new fossil species lived about 160 million years ago.
- Its hard inner support was unusually short and thick.
- It may show an old group survived longer than expected.
Wyoteuthis linsterorum is the scientific name for this new species. It was a belemnite, an extinct relative of squids and octopuses. Belemnites usually left long, bullet-shaped hard pieces. This species left a much broader piece.
That piece was called a rostrum. A rostrum was a hard support inside the animal. The new rostrum measured more than 13 centimeters long. Its front was about 6 to 7 centimeters wide. Scientists call it one of the thickest known belemnite rostra.
The fossils came from Wyoming, USA. Scientists know only two specimens. One was noticed in the late 1990s. Another was found later and donated to a museum. Comparing both specimens helped researchers recognize a new species.
The team also used a CT scan. A CT scan lets scientists see inside a fossil without cutting it. They compared the outside shape and inner details. These details helped place the animal in an old belemnite family.
Scientists thought most members of that family disappeared earlier. This fossil comes from a younger time. It suggests that one branch survived in that region. The discovery does not explain everything. Scientists still do not know why the rostrum became so thick. It may have helped the animal catch smaller belemnites. That idea remains unproven.
More fossils could reveal the animal’s full size and lifestyle. They could also show whether this shape was rare or common. The two fossils offer a strong clue. They do not tell the whole story yet.
A Very Chunky Squid Relative
📰 Full story: A Chunky Squid Relative from 160 Million Years Ago
Long ago, a squid-like sea animal had a very thick hard part.
belemnite
An old sea animal like a squid.
rostrum
The hard inside piece that became a fossil.
CT scan
A machine scan that looks inside without cutting.
A very long time ago, a squid-like animal lived in the sea. It was a belemnite, an old squid relative. Scientists named this new species Wyoteuthis linsterorum.
They found two fossil pieces in Wyoming. A rostrum was a hard piece inside the animal. That piece became a fossil. This animal’s rostrum was very thick.
Scientists used a CT scan to look inside. They did not cut the fossils. Why was it so thick? Nobody knows yet.
Maybe it helped catch small sea animals. Maybe that idea is wrong. Only two fossils are known. More finds may tell the story.