Scientists discover 'chunkiest' Jurassic squid-like creature in Wyoming fossils

One hundred and sixty million years ago, a stout, squid-like creature navigated the shallow Jurassic seas that once covered what is now Wyoming — and only now, through two rare fossils and a second look at a long-overlooked specimen, has it been given a name: Wyoteuthis linsterorum. Its unusually thick, robust body sets it apart from the slender belemnites that dominate the fossil record, hinting at a life lived differently from its relatives. This discovery is a quiet reminder that the past is not fully behind us — it waits, sometimes in museum drawers, for the right eyes to finally see it.