Concretion

[Lorney]

I was walking along the river and found this concretion. I have broke open many others and found nothing. This time there was something inside but I don’t know what. Any ideas? Comes from southern Alberta and what I believe is the Bearpaw Formation. If you look in the last picture where I wet it you can see some layers of Ammolite or shell.
Any suggestions for cleaning around this thing without totally destroying it. It is very fragile and flakey inside. Or should it just be left as is. Thanks for any input. 

 

[Rockwood]

The chambered and curved look does suggest shelled cephalopod. I don't  see features that look like the complex sutures of an ammonite though. Perhaps a nautiloid ?

[Ludwigia]

There's almost certainly a cephalopod of some kind in that concretion. Preparing it would be difficult without pneumatic tools and even then it would be a tough job.

[Lorney]

Thanks for the replies. I figured it would be tough to get it out of there without destroying it. I don’t see any suture lines at all either. It doesn’t look to spiral at all either. Maybe getting a look at what is in the bigger part of the concretion would tell more. I may have to just hit it again and see where it breaks. 

[jpc]

If I were looking for ammonites in the Bearpaw (very similar to our Pierre Shale), I would skip this one and look for one with better promise.  This one looks more septarian.