'Gigantic' ancient octopus used jaws to crush prey and hunted alongside the dinosaurs 100M years ago: study
Researchers found fossilized jaws of ancient octopuses that lived 100 million years ago, suggesting they were 'gigantic' predators that hunted alongside dinosaurs. The fossils, discovered in Japan and Vancouver Island, indicate that these octopuses reached lengths of up to 20 meters and had powerful jaws to crush their prey.
Researchers with Hokkaido University discovered fossilized jaws of ancient octopuses inside Late Cretaceous rock samples. The fossils belonged to a group of extinct finned octopuses known as Cirrata, which researchers believe crushed their prey with powerful jaws. The team used high-resolution grinding tomography and an artificial intelligence model to find the fossils, which were preserved in seafloor sediments from 100 to 72 million years ago. The findings suggest that these ancient octopuses were 'gigantic' predators that occupied the top of the marine food chain during the Cretaceous period, reaching lengths of up to 20 meters. The discovery changes the way scientists view predators during the Late Cretaceous period, previously believed to be dominated by vertebrate predators. The study provides the first direct evidence that invertebrates could evolve into giant, intelligent apex predators in ecosystems dominated by vertebrates.
This content was automatically generated and/or translated by AI. It may contain inaccuracies. Please refer to the original sources for verification.