4.8" Cretaceous Fossil Squid with Tentacles & Ink Sac - Pos/Neg

Cretaceous Fossil Squid with Tentacles & Ink Sac - Pos/Neg #201349

This is a positive/negative limestone split of a soft-bodied fossil squid from the Upper Cretaceous marine deposits of Lebanon. Soft bodied organisms are uncommon in the fossil record, especially those with excellent preservation. This soft bodied squid specimen still includes its ink sack and beautifully preserved tentacles. A truly stunning specimen that measures 4.8" in length.

There is a repaired crack through the mantle/fins and the limestone which required glue repair on both halves of the specimen. Comes with an acrylic display stand for each side of the split.

The discovery of amazingly preserved marine fossils near Hakel, Lebanon dates back many centuries. In fact, they were first mentioned in writing by Herodotus, over 450 years before the birth of Christ. The first scientific work on these localities began in the 1800s: these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families.

These deposits represent a warm, shallow sea of the Middle Cretaceous, and have yielded over 70 types of fish and numerous other genera found nowhere else in the world. The preservation on many of these specimens is truly amazing: many examples of soft bodied preservation have been found.

A photo of the quarry at Hakel, Lebanon