Belemnites

< Back to the Local Fossils album
Pronounced – Bel-em-nite
Meaning of name – Greek for a thrown dart or Javelin
Group – Cephalopods, Mollusc
Age – Lower Jurassic, around 195 million years old

Belemnites were carnivorous and free swimming squid-like creatures with a long bullet shaped body and a hard internal skeleton called a guard. The guard was positioned towards the tail end of the creature and acted as a counterbalance for the head and arms. This part of the belemnite is what we commonly find on the beach as a fossil. These are some of the most common fossils that we find on the beaches around Charmouth.

Also check out our Facebook page for recent finds and news from the Centre.

Belemnites on the beach

Image 1 of 5

These are the most common fossils that we find on our beach. They are loose among the pebbles and gravels and are easy to find.