: Because they were often found after heavy rains (which washed away topsoil), ancient Greeks and medieval Europeans believed they were darts from heaven thrown down during thunderstorms.
Belemnites were squid-like marine mollusks belonging to the class, making them cousins to modern squids, octopuses, and the extinct ammonites . belemnite
: Unlike modern squids with soft bodies, belemnites had a hard internal skeleton. The most common part found today is the rostrum (or guard)—a bullet-shaped feature at the tail end used for buoyancy and balance while swimming. : Because they were often found after heavy
: While they originated in the Triassic period (about 237 million years ago), they became ocean superstars during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. making them cousins to modern squids