Wyoteuthis linsterorum: New Jurassic squid-like species found in Wyoming

Researchers have identified a new species of ancient cephalopod, named Wyoteuthis linsterorum, discovered in the Sundance Formation of Wyoming. Dating back approximately 160 million years to the Jurassic period, this belemnite—an extinct relative of modern squids and octopuses—is distinguished by its unusually thick, barrel-shaped rostrum.

While typical belemnite fossils from the region are slender and bullet-shaped, measuring roughly 5 to 10 centimeters in length and 1 to 2 centimeters in width, this new species features a rostrum up to 6 centimeters wide. Scientists estimate the living animal may have reached a total length of approximately 60 centimeters. The discovery suggests the species may have occupied a specific ecological niche within the ancient Sundance Sea.

The formal description follows a decades-long process. The first specimen was unearthed in the late 1990s by Dr. Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. A second specimen was found by fossil collector Cliff Linster near Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and donated to the museum in 2019. The findings were published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology.