Description

Belosaepia ungula Gabb 1860

Eocene

Crockett Formation

Little Brazos River, Brazos County TX USA.

34mm sepiid squid beak.

Cephalopod.  Other Mollusc.

Belosaepia is a genus of cephalopod generally identified as a squid or cuttlefish.  It was widespread in its time – known from the Early to Middle Eocene of North America, Europe, India, and Turkey.

Beaks or incomplete guards are as a rule the only remains of squid or cuttlefish found due to the otherwise soft-bodied nature of their anatomy.  A beak, especially one from the Cenozoic, makes an interesting addition to a cephalopod collection.