Ancient 60-Foot Octopuses Dominated the Cretaceous Seas
New fossil analysis shows Nanaimoteuthis octopuses reached up to 19 meters (60 feet) in the Cretaceous and may have been apex predators, using a large body and long arms to catch prey; wear on their jaws suggests they crushed hard-shelled animals, and researchers used 3D grinding tomography and AI to reconstruct their size and ecology, expanding our view of ancient marine ecosystems.