Belemnite

the phragmocone or chambered shell which sat inside the solid shell (guard)

This fossil is the ‘phragmocone’ of a belemnite and it fitted within a ‘V’ shaped hole in the guard (shell). The phragmocone was composed of a series of chambers containing a mixture of gas and water. By changing the relative amounts of the two, the creature could adjust its depth in the water. This specimen is preserved in iron pyrite.