People around the world have found ammonite fossils in ancient marine deposits for thousands of years. Ammonites had a many-chambered shell and are believed to be relatives of the octopus and squids that live today. Through time there were at least 10,000 and, possibly, up to 20,000 different species.

Most ammonite fossils are planispiral in shape, meaning their shells were coiled on a single plane, looking like today’s chambered nautilus. In the Comox Valley we are fortunate to have many different species of planispiral ammonites. But we also occasionally find heteromorphic, open-coiled ammonites, sometimes resembling large open springs, soft ice-cream cones or large paper clips.

Scientists now believe that a new species of open-coiled ammonite may have been discovered near Campbell River. Several years ago, Courtenay Museum Curator Pat Trask discovered a beautifully preserved heteromorphic ammonite fossil while researching with Dr. Jim Haggart and Dr. Peter Ward at low tide at Willow Point beach. Shocked to see the specimen, they immediately confirmed that it may be new to science.

A new scientific paper on ammonites, authored by these scientists, is near completion and, hopefully, this discovery will add a new name to the 10,000 plus ammonites already known around the world.