Oldest octopus claim debunked: fossil identified as a nautiloid relative
TL;DR Summary
A fossil once named as the world’s oldest octopus (Pohlsepia mazonensis) has been reclassified as a nautiloid relative (Paleocadmus pohli) after synchrotron imaging revealed a mollusk radula inconsistent with octopuses. Guinness World Records will remove the octopus title, highlighting how modern techniques can overturn long-held fossil identifications and reshape our view of cephalopod evolution.
- "Weird blob" creature thought to be the world's oldest octopus isn't an octopus after all. Here's what scientists found. CBS News
- Scientists say the world’s oldest octopus fossil isn’t an octopus after all AP News
- Earliest known octopus is not an octopus after all BBC
- This Fossil Once Rewrote Everything We Knew About Octopuses. Turns Out, It's Not An Octopus At All IFLScience
- So long, sucker: world’s ‘oldest octopus’ is stripped of its title The Times
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