US EditionRelease the Kraken: 60-Foot Octopuses Predators 100 Million Years Ago, Fossils Shows
- A new Science paper identifies two extinct finned octopus species, Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, that lived between 100 million and 72 million years ago as apex predators in Cretaceous oceans.
- Hokkaido University researchers identified 12 of 27 total octopus jaw fossils using 'digital fossil mining,' a technique applying high-resolution grinding tomography and artificial intelligence to visualize fossils hidden within sedimentary rock samples.
- One species, N. haggarti, may have reached 62 feet, rivaling mosasaurs in size; heavy jaw wear amounting to about 10 percent of total jaw length indicates these colossal predators crushed hard shells and bones.
- These findings revise the view of the Cretaceous ocean as dominated only by large vertebrate predators. Professor Yasuhiro Iba of Hokkaido University said, "They show that giant invertebrates—octopuses—also occupied the top of the food web."
- Asymmetric wear patterns on jaw fossils suggest the octopuses displayed brain lateralization, a trait linked to advanced intelligence, though some scientists say this claim requires more evidence.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Not just folklore: A giant kraken-like octopus terrorized the seas in the age of dinosaurs
The giant kraken, a mythical marine beast, may not be entirely fiction. New evidence suggests that octopuses up to 62 feet long likely roamed the waters of ancient Earth, ripping and devouring prey in their path.Monster under the seaThese gigantic octopuses might have been formidable predators of the ocean approximately 100 million years ago, according to a study published in the journal Science. “With their large bodies, long arms, powerful jaw…
The Cretaceous oceans may have been populated by octopus 7 to 19 metres long. This is suggested by a Japanese scientific study, which studied the jaws of these distant ancestors of the octopus. These predators then occupied the top of the underwater food chain. - Predators 19 metres long: when the ancestors of the octopus reigned over the oceans (Sciences).
Giant octopuses were apex predators, according to new study
(CNN, KYMA) - A new discovery is reshaping our understanding of ancient ocean ecosystems. Scientists say giant octopuses, stretching up to 62-feet long, may have have sat at the top of the food chain more than 100 million years ago. The findings come from a study published Thursday in the journal "Science." Researchers found signs of heavy wear on well-preserved fossils of octopus jaws, suggesting the creatures crushed hard prey like shells, bon…
Release the Kraken: 60-foot Octopuses Predators 100 Million Years Ago, Fossils Shows
The kraken: a giant squid or octopus of myth, seems to have swam in the Cretaceous oceans, a Japanese study shows. Recovering a selection of truly revolutionary fossils from sediments in Japan and Vancouver Island, the researchers present a prehistoric octopus that could grow as long as 60 feet, and use its powerful jaws to […] The post Release the Kraken: 60-foot Octopuses Predators 100 Million Years Ago, Fossils Shows appeared first on Good Ne…
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