Paleontologists identified Wyoteuthis linsterorum, a bizarre new species of ancient squid relative that lived in Wyoming approximately 160 million years ago. Discovered through rare Jurassic fossils, the marine creature features an unusually thick, barrel-shaped internal skeleton that makes it one of the chunkiest belemnites ever documented.
Deep within the Redwater Shale Member of Wyoming’s Sundance Formation, researchers have uncovered evidence of an ancient sea dweller. The species, named Wyoteuthis linsterorum, belongs to an extinct group of cephalopods known as belemnites. These share evolutionary ties with modern squids and octopuses. Standard belemnite fossils discovered across the region typically measure slender and bullet-shaped. This newly described animal breaks every mold with its exceptionally stout proportions.
Two Rare Fossils From Wyoming’s Sundance Sea
The discovery rests upon a pair of exceptional specimens pulled from the ancient inland sea bed that once blanketed the western United States. The first piece surfaced in the late 1990s when Dr. Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, noticed a belemnite far larger and wider than any he had previously encountered. That initial specimen lingered unstudied in a museum drawer for years.
Fossil collector Cliff Linster found the second specimen. He later ensured it was available for scientific research. With two examples available for comparison, scientists finally gathered sufficient evidence to formally describe an entirely new genus and species. The generic designation Wyoteuthis translates to a squid from Wyoming,
while the specific epithet honors Linster and his family for their contributions to paleontology.
A Barrel-Shaped Skeleton That Stood Out
Most belemnite fossils preserved in the Sundance Formation are narrow and pencil-like, measuring roughly 5 to 10 centimeters long and 1 to 2 centimeters across. Wyoming paleontologist Bill Wahl noted that the new specimens immediately caught his attention. He stated that the unusual fossil stuck out like a sore thumb
against the backdrop of countless common finds.
The resulting data showed a calcitic guard—known as the rostrum—measuring approximately 16 to 17.5 centimeters long while reaching approximately 6 centimeters in width at the anterior end. Researchers estimate that the living animal, including its soft-tissue arms and mantle, reached a total length of roughly 55 to 60 centimeters, or about two feet.
Surviving a Lost Geological Lineage
Wyoteuthis belongs to the family Megateuthididae, a group that flourished in the aftermath of the Toarcian extinction event when global oceans suffered massive oxygen loss. Most lineages within that family eventually died out during the Middle Jurassic. The new findings indicate that a specialized branch managed to persist far longer than previously understood in a marine refuge.
Alexey Ippolitov, a belemnite expert, expressed astonishment at encountering such an anomalous creature within a heavily researched fossil group. The researchers published their complete description in the scientific journal Papers in Palaeontology. They identified the animal as a portly survivor of a lineage otherwise lost in the depths of geological time
.
After spending years fossil hunting in Wyoming and collecting countless fossils of the common Pachyteuthis belemnites here in Wyoming, this one is unlike anything I have ever seen! It goes to show that we are still finding new species of fossils all the time, and people who rockhound or collect invertebrate fossils can also contribute to science.
Jessica Lippincott, study coauthor and Wyoming paleontologist, via Science Daily
Scientists suggest that the creature’s broad proportions likely tied into specialized predatory behaviors.
