PaleoBios

Fossil shells of the extinct nautiloid genus Aturia have been found in Cenozoic strata in many parts of the world, and yet there have only been two previous records of fossils of any part of the jaw apparatus of Aturia. This suggests that the jaws were only preserved by virtue of special, highly localized conditions. A fossilized lower jaw referable to Aturia has been found in western Washington State, USA, associated with two shells of Aturia angustata within a piece of limestone that formed as a result of localized hydrocarbon seepage on the deep-sea floor. This is the first report of a nautiloid jaw from Cenozoic strata of western North America, and the first report of any part of the jaw apparatus for A. angustata.