Scientists Have Found a Barrel-Shaped Squid-Like Creature From The Jurassic: 'One of The Chunkiest'

Key Points:

• Paleontologists have discovered a new Jurassic squid-like species, Wyoteuthis linsterorum, from fossils found in an ancient inland sea bed in Wyoming, dating back around 160 million years.
• Wyoteuthis is noted for having one of the thickest rostra (internal shell parts) among belemnites, measuring about 60 mm in diameter and estimated to be 160–175 mm long, making it a "chunky" but relatively short cephalopod.
• The species belongs to the extinct order belemnites, relatives of modern squids and octopuses, and is part of the Megateuthididae family, which thrived after the Toarcian extinction but mostly went extinct by the Middle Jurassic.
• Researchers suggest Wyoteuthis' rarity may be due to ecological specialization, such as selective prey or habitat preferences, and it likely represents a surviving lineage otherwise lost to geological history.
• The discovery honors fossil collector Cliff Linster and was detailed in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.