Prehistoric octopuses push evolutionary record back to 100 million years
Updated
Updated · The Economic Times · May 1
Prehistoric octopuses push evolutionary record back to 100 million years
13 articles · Updated · The Economic Times · May 1
Researchers used AI and grinding techniques on fossilised jaws from Japan and Vancouver Island, dated 100 to 72 million years ago, and said some animals may have exceeded 20 metres.
Jaw size and heavy wear, including cracking and tip loss, suggest active hunters that ate tough prey and may have competed with large fish and marine reptiles near the top of food chains.
The study also extends the record of finned octopus relatives by about 15 million years and hints at early behavioural lateralisation, potentially pushing complex octopus cognition deeper into evolutionary history.
What does a lopsided bite reveal about the advanced intelligence of a 100-million-year-old octopus?
How did 20-meter 'krakens' challenge giant marine reptiles for dominance of the ancient oceans?