All articles tagged with #beaks
A Science study using 15 fossil octopus beaks and AI-based size estimates suggests 60-foot octopuses may have been apex predators in the Late Cretaceous (72–100 million years ago), capable of preying on large creatures like sharks and mosasaurs, though some paleontologists call the 60-foot figure extreme and caution that more evidence is needed.
Fossil beak analysis reveals giant Cretaceous octopuses up to about 19 m long that crushed bones and shells with powerful jaws, possibly rivaling mosasaurs in the oceans. Nanaimoteuthis haggarti may be the largest known invertebrate, with wear patterns and lateralization indicating sophisticated predation. Researchers reclassified several beaks and uncovered additional specimens (12 more beaks from 72–100 million-year-old rocks) using digital imaging, reshaping views of the Cretaceous marine ecosystem. Findings published in Science.