Ancient Octopuses May Have Been up to 19 Meters Long, Study Finds

Giant 19-metre finned octopus could live up to the legend of the kraken

“Release the kraken!” are words of legend and myth that call to mind images of giant tentacled sea creatures grappling with ships and dragging them and their crew down to the depths of the ocean, never to be seen or heard from again. In today’s oceans, the only creature that comes close to matching that description are the 10-metre long giant squid. But in the past, the giant squid had a rival that could do justice to the fearsome kraken of lege…

Real kraken? Ancient predators up to 19m long

New research suggests giant octopuses from the Cretaceous period may have reached 19m, rivaling marine reptiles and modern giant squid. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Ancient octopuses may have been up to 19 meters long, study finds

Giant octopuses that lived between 100 million and 72 million years ago may have reached a total length of up to 19 meters, making them among the largest invertebrates known to science, and were likely apex ocean predators, according to new research led by a Japanese university.