3" Soft-Bodied Cretaceous Cephalopod w/ Ink Sack & Tentacles - Lebanon

Soft-Bodied Cretaceous Cephalopod w/ Ink Sack & Tentacles - Lebanon #173177

This is a gorgeous and unusual, 3" long, soft-bodied fossil cephalopod from the Upper Cretaceous marine deposits of Lebanon. The preservation of this octopus specimen is phenomenal, including an ink sack, an outline of the octopus and tentacles. During collection, the rock split perfectly resulting in this beautiful positive/negative presentation of the fossil that required no repair or restoration.

Both the positive and negative halves of this specimen are included. Comes with two acrylic display stands.

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 and these deposits have been meticulously quarried by several Lebanese families for over a century. We purchase our specimens directly from one of these families that has worked the quarries for generations.

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

A photo of the quarry at Hakel, Lebanon