Two extraordinarily rare fossils discovered in Wyoming have revealed a strange new species of Jurassic squid relative called Wyoteuthis linsterorum. Dating back approximately 160 million years, the prehistoric cephalopod features an unusually thick, barrel-shaped internal skeleton that makes it the chunkiest belemnite ever identified by paleontologists.
Deep within the ancient inland sea deposits of Wyoming’s Sundance Formation, specifically the Redwater Shale layer, researchers have uncovered an evolutionary curveball. Belemnites are among the most frequently discovered invertebrate fossils in the world, usually turning up as narrow, bullet-shaped calcitic structures known as rostra or guards. Most specimens collected in the region measure between 50 and 100 millimeters long and just 10 to 20 millimeters wide. The newly identified species shatters those familiar proportions with a barrel-shaped rostrum measuring approximately 160 to 175 millimeters long and reaching an extraordinary 60 millimeters across at the anterior end.
Discovering Wyoteuthis linsterorum in Wyoming
The path to describing the species spanned nearly three decades. The first known specimen was found in the late 1990s by Dr. Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, who noticed a belemnite considerably larger than any he had previously encountered. The specimen remained unstudied in a museum drawer until fossil collector Cliff Linster discovered a second example near Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Linster, who passed away earlier this year, had his posthumous honor tied to the new species name in recognition of his discovery.
Wyoming paleontologist Bill Wahl, who has spent much of his career combing the state for fossils, recognized that the initial find stuck out like a sore thumb
against the backdrop of countless common specimens. Wahl assembled an international team to investigate the remains, bringing in belemnite expert Alexey Ippolitov and his colleagues. The researchers linked the creature to an ancient family, the Megateuthididae, that had a really good run following the Toarcian extinction event before most of its lineages were eventually overtaken by other belemnites in the Middle Jurassic.
Anatomy and Ecological Adaptations of a Portly Cephalopod
Formally described in the international journal Papers in Palaeontology, the genus name Wyoteuthis was chosen for the creature, while the species designation honors Cliff Linster. Researchers estimate that the living animal, including its arms, reached a total length of approximately 55 to 60 centimeters, or about 22 to 24 inches (nearly two feet, according to The Daily Beast). Despite its robust proportions, scientists caution that the rostrum size does not automatically indicate a large size of animal and a high position in the trophic pyramid,
noting instead that the creature’s unusual morphology likely served a specific ecological role.
Preserving Rare Fossils at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center
For local researchers accustomed to finding millions of uniform bullet-shaped guards often nicknamed squid butts,
the discovery upended decades of field expectations. Jessica Lippincott, a Wyoming paleontologist and study coauthor, reflected on the rarity of the finds: 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.
Both known fossils of Wyoteuthis linsterorum—the holotype and paratype—are now housed at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming, where visitors can view the remains. While Cliff Linster passed away earlier this year prior to the formal publication of the research, his contribution remains permanently stamped in the scientific debut published in Papers in Palaeontology.