Nectocaris pteryx is an extinct soft-bodied species of the Middle Cambrian, was found in the Burgess Shale type deposit in Canada, Australia and China ^{1), 3)}. It is interpreted as a stem-group mollusc close to the cephalopods ¹⁾.

In appearance, Nectocaris is indeed resemble to the coleoids, such as squids, cuttlefishes and octopuses, among cephalopods, however, it has neither the external shell nor the internalized shell ¹⁾.

Nectocaris is about 7cm in length ¹⁾. It looks like a squid with only two tentacles. The head (main body) has wide lateral fins and a pair of tentacles ¹⁾. Beneath of the head, the nozzle-shaped funnel projects and its both sides have a pair of eyes with short stalks. These were camera-type eyes like extant cephalopods have ^{1), 3)}.

The spouting water flow from the funnel would have been sufficient for propulsion of swimming ^{1), 3)}. In addition to the funnel, using the large lateral fins too, they would have swun near the seabed and preyed on small foods or dead animals by their tentacles.