6.6" Soft Bodied Octopus Fossil - Preserved Tentacles & Ink Sac

This is a truly exceptional fossils, a 6 1/2" long fossil octopus (Palaeoctopus newboldi) from the Upper Cretaceous Lebanese lagerstätten deposits. It has exquisite soft-bodied preservation including tentacles and even the ink sac. Both the part and counterpart of the specimen are included.

These rare cephalopod fossils have been the subject of several research papers and news articles over the past few years. They compared the preserved organic granules in the ink sacks with the structures in modern squid ink and found them to be identical. In fact by dissolving the granules in an ammonia solution they were even able to write with it. I've linked several of the papers and articles below.

A NEW LOOK AT FOSSIL CEPHALOPODS - Neal Larson, Robert Morton, Peter Larson & UWE Bergman

SQUIDS: THE CRETACEOUS INK WELL

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - Fossil Ink Sacs Yield Jurassic Pigment - A First

There has been some repair to the matrix but the fossil itself has not been restored or color enhanced in any way.

The Upper Cretaceous, Lebonese lagerstätten yields some of the most exquisitely preserved fossil fish in the world. Over 80 genre are currently described, with many more still awaiting description. These beautiful fossils have been quarried near Byblos, Lebanon for well over a century and include sharks, rays, shrimp, ray-finned fishes and more.