19-meter-long giant octopuses likely kings of Cretaceous seas
朝日新聞 • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers discovered an octopus species from about 80 million years ago that could reach up to 19 meters in length, potentially making it the top predator in Cretaceous oceans.
- The study, led by Yasuhiro Iba of Hokkaido University, analyzed 27 fossil specimens from Japan and Canada, focusing on well-preserved octopus beaks to estimate body size.
- Using AI-driven digital fossil mining, the team identified fossils and inferred that these large octopuses had strong biting forces, feeding on hard-shelled prey like shellfish and ammonites.
- The findings challenge the long-held view that large fish and vertebrates dominated the marine food chain, showing that invertebrate octopuses were among the largest carnivores in the Late Cretaceous seas.