Named Woteutis linsterorum, the prehistoric creature belonged to an extinct group of marine animals known as belemnites. Belemnites were closely related to modern squids and octopuses.

The new species is especially remarkable because of its unusually thick, barrel-shaped internal skeleton. Its fossilized rostrum, or guard, is the thickest known among belemnites, earning the animal a distinctive place in the fossil record.

An international research team from the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, including Dr. Dean Lomax, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, investigated the fossils and formally described the species in a paleontology paper.

A Jurassic squid relative with an unusual body shape

Belemnites are among the most frequently discovered fossils in the world. They are best known for their bullet-shaped internal skeletons, called rostra or guards. Because the soft parts of the animal rarely fossilized, the rostrum is often the only part preserved.

The Sundance Formation in Wyoming preserves the remains of an ancient inland sea that once covered much of the western United States. The formation has produced millions of belemnite fossils and is sometimes nicknamed “squid butt” by local fossil hunters.

Most belemnite fossils found in Wyoming are elongated and bullet-shaped, typically measuring 5 to 10 centimeters long and only 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter. The newly identified species is dramatically different.

Its rostrum is about 10 centimeters long but approximately 6 centimeters wide. That unusually broad, barrel-like shape makes it the thickest known belemnite rostrum of its kind.

Based on the fossil’s proportions, scientists estimate that the living animal may have reached a total length of about 60 centimeters, or roughly 2 feet, including its arms.

CT scans reveal clues about the rare fossil

Wyoming paleontologist Bill Wahl, who spent much of his career searching for fossils in the state, recognized that one specimen deserved closer study. Compared with the countless other belemnites found in the region, the fossil “sticks out like a sore thumb,” he said.

Wahl assembled an international research team that included belemnite expert Alexei Ippolitov, a doctoral student based at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.

The researchers used computed tomography, or CT, scans to examine the fossil’s internal structure without damaging it. The detailed images revealed an unexpected connection to an ancient belemnite group that scientists believed had disappeared millions of years ago.

Ippolitov said he was “very surprised” to encounter such a distinctive specimen from a group that has already been extensively studied. Belemnites have been the subject of paleontological research for more than 200 years, making the discovery of a fundamentally different species especially significant.

The animal’s unusual proportions may also offer clues about how it lived and hunted.

“A possible explanation is that the relatively large body gave it an advantage when hunting smaller belemnites of this genus, Pachyteuthis,” Ippolitov explained. “As it turns out, modern squids are not very picky when it comes to prey and easily hunt other species of cephalopods, and sometimes even conspecifics.”

The discovery took nearly 30 years to understand

Although Woteutis linsterorum has only recently been formally described, the story of its discovery began almost three decades ago.

The first known specimen was found in the late 1990s by Dr. Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. While examining fossils, Pohl noticed a belemnite that was significantly larger and broader than any he had previously encountered.

Despite its unusual appearance, the fossil remained unstudied in a museum collection drawer for many years.

A breakthrough came when fossil collector Cliff Linster discovered a second specimen near Tensleep, Wyoming. He donated it to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in 2019, giving researchers another example of the mysterious animal.

Comparing the two fossils finally gave scientists enough evidence to recognize and formally describe an entirely new species.

The species name, linsterorum, honors Cliff Linster and his family. Linster discovered one of the two known specimens and made it available for scientific research.

Lippincott emphasized how extraordinary the discovery is, even for researchers familiar with Wyoming’s abundant belemnite fossils.

“After spending years fossil hunting in Wyoming and collecting countless fossils of common Pachyteuthis belemnites, this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she said. “This shows that we are discovering new fossil species all the time, and that rockhounds and people who collect invertebrate fossils can also contribute to science.”

A fossil discovery that honors Cliff Linster

Cliff Linster sadly passed away in June before the study was published. He knew scientists were investigating his discovery and was eager to see the rare fossil receive formal scientific recognition.

The Linster family already had an impressive history of fossil discoveries, including connections to famous dinosaurs such as Bambiraptor.

For British paleontologist Dr. Dean Lomax, the discovery also had personal meaning. Lomax, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester and an 1851 Fellow at the University of Bristol, first worked with Cliff and his wife, Sandy, while excavating dinosaur fossils as a teenager.

“I met Cliff and Sandy in 2009 when we spent a week excavating a dinosaur bone bed on their property in northern Montana,” Lomax said. “After hearing about Cliff’s passion for fossils, including this belemnite, I have fond memories of the excavation. It was an honor to help give Cliff his name to this fossil.”

“It’s bittersweet that he didn’t get to see it published, but it’s great that we can publish it. This discovery will immortalize his name and that of his family in the history of paleontology.”

Lomax has extensive experience studying Wyoming’s prehistoric fauna, including collecting fossils and excavating plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs from the Sundance Formation. He is also the author of the book The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs, which features Wyoming fossils.

Two rare fossils now on display in Wyoming

The discovery demonstrates that even well-studied fossil assemblages can still produce major surprises, especially when rare specimens are preserved and made available for scientific investigation.

Both known fossils of Woteutis linsterorum are currently on display at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Visitors can see the fossils of one of the rarest squid relatives known from the Jurassic seas.