Description

Phragmoteuthis conocauda
Early Jurassic
Posidonia Shale – Lias Epsilon
Holzmaden, Germany

7.25 inch squid with tentacles and hooks on 14 inch slab

Phragmoteuthis is an extinct genus of cephalopod that lived during the Jurassic period, approximately 150 to 190 million years ago. It belongs to the order Belemnoidea, a group of ancient cephalopods that are related to modern squids, octopuses, and cuttlefish. Phragmoteuthis, like other belemnoids, had characteristics that bridge the gap between ancient shelled cephalopods like ammonites and the soft-bodied cephalopods of today.

Phragmoteuthis possessed a phragmocone, a chambered internal shell used for buoyancy control, similar to the way modern cuttlefish use their cuttlebone. The shell was internal, unlike the external shells of ammonites, and provided support for the animal’s soft body. Like modern cephalopods, Phragmoteuthis had a set of tentacles or arms, likely used for capturing prey. Rare fossils like this one show evidence of hook-like structures on the arms, which may have helped it grasp prey such as small fish or other marine animals and even show the ink sac.