Orthoceras sculpture featuring several specimens of these fossilised cephalopods trapped forever in black rock.
Approximately 22cm tall and very heavy.
Approximately 450million years ago Orthoceras swam in the oceans, hunting smaller creatures for food.
Distant relatives of the squid, octopus and nautilus, Orthoceras had a soft, boneless body with tentacles. They lived in a long straight shell which they built up chamber by chamber, each larger than the last as the creature grew in size, with Orthoceras living in the largest chamber sealing off the chamber behind in order to aid buoyancy when swimming.



