Japanese Scientists Estimate Ancient Octopus Reached 19 Meters Using 27 Fossils
Updated
Updated · Futura · Jun 25
Japanese Scientists Estimate Ancient Octopus Reached 19 Meters Using 27 Fossils
3 articles · Updated · Futura · Jun 25
Summary
A Science study estimates Nanaimoteuthis haggarti grew to 19 meters, making the Cretaceous octopus larger than the biggest modern squids, which reach about 14 meters.
Researchers based the reconstruction on 27 fossils found between Japan and Canada, combining scans with an algorithm to infer body size from rare remains that are usually limited to jaws.
The fossils date to roughly 72 million to 100 million years ago, and the team says the animal likely used eight arms and unusually powerful jaws to hunt large marine prey.
That size would have placed the species among the Cretaceous ocean's giants, alongside mosasaurs of up to 17 meters, underscoring how extreme marine gigantism was in that era.