Orthoceras (fossils)

Orthoceras was an ancient Mollusk that dated back to the Silurian age 400 million years ago. They are the ancestors to the squid and its nickname was straight horn because their characteristics were of being long and straight. These straight shelled nautiloids ranged from less than a centimeter to more than 10 feet in length. Orthoceras could crawl the ocean floors as well as float through the water by propelling its self. Orthoceras fills its chamber inside their shells with air then squirting jets of water out. This way they could feed on the ocean floor and feed while floating. Many of these occurrences have been found in Morocco, and N.Africa and among many other places around the world.