Aturia angustata
Nautiloid
Miocene
Lincoln Creek Formation
Grays Harbor County, Washington, USA

Extremely rare, 48mm nautiloid preserved in chalcedony.

Cephalopod.

Aturia is a nautiloid genus known from the Paleocene to Miocene of various sites worldwide. Despite its wide distribution, it’s a rare find at all its known localities.

Back in the Ordovician Period, nautiloids ascended to the level of apex predator and survived serious competition from various jawed fish groups during the Devonian. They endured minor and major extinction events all the way into the Cenozoic Era. They then rediversified before going into decline by the Late Miocene. Today, only a few species survive in Indo-Pacific waters.

Above-average Aturia specimen. Unusual example of chalcedony replacement in a fossil.