A newly discovered species of belemnite, named Wyoteuthis linsterorum, has been identified from two rare fossils found in Wyoming, dating back about 160 million years. Belemnites are ancient marine animals related to modern squid and cuttlefish. This particular species stands out for its unusually thick, barrel-shaped skeleton, making it the largest and most robust belemnite ever found. The discovery was made by an international team of researchers, including Dr. Dean Lomax from the University of Manchester, and was published in the journal Papers in Palaeontology. Belemnites are common fossils found around the world, often recognizable by their bullet-shaped remains, known as a rostrum or guard. In Wyoming, these fossils are frequently found in the Sundance Formation, which was once an ancient inland sea. Wyoming paleontologist Jessica Lippincott noted that local belemnites are sometimes called "squid butts" due to their shape. Most of these fossils are small, measuring only a few centimeters in length and width. However, the newly discovered Wyoteuthis linsterorum had a much broader, barrel-shaped rostrum, measuring about 10 centimeters long and up to 6 centimeters wide. Researchers estimate that the living animal would have been around 60 centimeters long, including its arms. The discovery was led by Wyoming paleontologist Bill Wahl, who brought together experts from the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand. Using computed tomography (CT) scans, the team examined the fossils without damaging them, revealing internal structures that confirmed the specimen belonged to an ancient belemnite family previously thought to have gone extinct millions of years ago. Alexey Ippolitov, a belemnite expert from New Zealand, described the discovery as "deeply surprising" and suggested that the species' large size may have given it an advantage in hunting smaller belemnites, much like modern squid. The discovery took nearly 30 years to complete. The first fossil was found in the late 1990s by Dr. Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, who noticed it was much larger than any belemnite he had seen before. The fossil remained unstudied until 2019, when a second specimen was discovered by fossil collector Cliff Linster near Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and donated to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. The two fossils together provided the evidence needed to formally describe the new species. The species name, linsterorum, honors Cliff Linster and his family, who contributed to the discovery. Cliff Linster, who passed away in June of this year, was aware that researchers were studying his fossil and was excited to see it formally described. His family is known for finding significant fossils, including the dinosaur Bambiraptor. Dr. Lomax, who met Cliff and his wife, Sandy, in 2009 during an excavation on their property, expressed honor in helping name the fossil after Cliff. He noted that it was bittersweet that Cliff did not live to see the publication, but that the family's name would be remembered in paleontology history. Both fossils are now on display at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming.