Orthoceras, from Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós), meaning "straight", and κέρας (kéras), meaning "horn", is a genus of extinct nautiloid cephalopod restricted to Middle Ordovician-aged marine limestones of the Baltic States and Sweden. This genus is sometimes called Orthoceratites and misspelled as Orthocera, Orthocerus, or Orthoceros.
Orthoceras (“straight horn”) is an extinct squid-like mollusk from the Ordovician period, about 450 million years ago. The creature lived in the last open segment on the wide end of the shell, and ranged from 1 cm to 6 ft long approx. As the body outgrew the segment, a dividing wall, called the septa, grew to separate the old home segment from the new. A small tube, the siphuncle, runs down the center of the shell and was used for propulsion and buoyancy. These fossils are found in the Atlas Mountains of the Sahara Desert in Morocco.
Measurement Approximately: 3”-4” inch (10-15cm)
Weight Approximately: 973 grams
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