Rare, 6.2" Fossil Octopus (Keuppia) - Soft-Bodied Tentacles & Ink Sac

Rare, Fossil Octopus (Keuppia) - Soft-Bodied Tentacles & Ink Sac #199250

This is an incredible, 6.2" long octopus (Keuppia) from the Upper Cretaceous Sannine Formation of Lebanon. Fossil Octopus are incredibly rare finds and highly sought after by collectors.

The soft-bodied preservation on the specimen in exquisite. The tentacles are preserved as well as the ink sac. Both the positive and negative impression of the fossil is included. There has been some repair to the surrounding, but no restoration or repair to the fossil itself.

A paper describing this genus can be found at the link:

NEW OCTOPODS (CEPHALOPODA: COLEOIDEA) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (UPPER CENOMANIAN) OF HÂKEL AND HÂDJOULA, LEBANON

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

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