The Tate Geological Museum at Casper College is displaying a 2-foot gladius fossil from Niobrara County, Wyoming, identified as Niobrarateuthis and found in the Sharon Springs member of the Pierre Shale.
Museum collections specialist J.P. Cavigelli says the fossil’s location is concealed to protect this unique find and potential future discoveries, as such fossils are extremely rare and the site offers limited access.
The fossil highlights the diversity of prehistoric marine life in Wyoming’s ancient Western Interior Seaway, with other notable finds including plesiosaurs, sea turtles, and marine birds from the same formation.
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