Polished Orthoceras Fossil, 2-3"

Species: Orthoceras (extinct nautiloid cephalopod)

Age: Devonian (350-400 Million years old)

Origin: Atlas Mountain Range, South Morocco

Orthoceras was an ancient cephalopod, an ancestor of the modern-day squid. Orthocera ranged in size from less than half an inch to more than 14 feet long. They were likely a predator, hunting trilobites and similar smaller prey. Like other cephalopods, they lived inside of their long shells, had tentacles they could use to grab food, and used jet propulsion, squirting water to move. The soft body of the cephalopod lived in one side of the shell; as it grew and the shell became too small, it added another housing "segment", separated by a wall from the old one; these walls, called septa, account for the visual variation in the patterns on the fossil.

The photos are representative of the specimen you will receive, but may not be the exact one.

*Note: Scientifically orthoceras is a genus name used only for a particular extinct nautiloid cephalopod from the Baltic states and Sweden. However, it is commonly used to refer to any species of extinct nautiloid cephalopod with a straight cone shaped shell.