Examples of 3D models of cephalopod fossils.

Virtual Collection: Class Cephalopoda

This virtual collection was last curated by Jonathan Hendricks on April 16, 2019.  Creative Commons License Each model is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Unless otherwise indicated, each model was created by Emily Hauf using specimens at the Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York.

An associated chapter about the Class Cephalopoda is now available on the Digital Encyclopedia of Ancient Life.

Major morphological features of cephalopod shells (annotated models)


Modern specimen of the chambered nautilus cephalopod Nautilus pompilius from the Philippines (PRI 70573). Specimen is from the collections of the Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York. Maximum dimension of specimen is approximately 17.5 cm.


Fossil specimen of the ammonoid cephalopod Cleoniceras besairiei from the Cretaceous period. Specimen is from the collections of the Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York. Maximum diameter of specimen is approximately 12 cm.

Major groups and diversity of cephalopods