All articles tagged with #giant octopus
Scientists found giant octopuses up to 19 meters long were the true apex predators of the Late Cretaceous seas, with fossil jaws of Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti showing wear that signals powerful carnivory and rivaled mosasaurs in size; the findings, published in Science, place these intelligent cephalopods among the top hunters of the dinosaur era.
Paleontologists revisited the size of the Late Cretaceous giant octopus Nanaimoteuthis haggarti and now estimate it could reach about 7–19 meters, potentially making it the largest non-colonial invertebrate and a distant relative of modern deep-sea octopuses; initially misclassified as a vampire squid, the species was re-identified from jaw fossils on Vancouver Island and in Japan, with its North Pacific 84-million-year-old habitat and deep-sea lifestyle raising questions about size estimates and octopus evolution.
Researchers re-evaluate 2008 fossils from Vancouver Island and Japan, reclassifying Paleocirroteuthis haggarti as Nanaimoteuthis haggarti and estimating a jaw‑based body length of 7–19 meters, potentially making it the largest non‑colonial invertebrate and a major Late Cretaceous predator; this deep‑sea cirrate octopus likely preyed on ammonites and is linked to modern dumbo and flapjack octopuses, though some scientists question the size estimates.
Using high‑resolution tomography and AI on Cretaceous rocks from Japan and Vancouver Island, researchers reconstruct Nanaimoteuthis haggarti as a colossal 60‑foot octopus that ground shells and bones with a massive beak, likely making it an apex predator in its ecosystem and possibly among the oldest finned octopuses; the study also suggests brain lateralization, though that claim will need more evidence.
Fossil jaws from two extinct Nanaimoteuthis species suggest octopuses could reach about 62 feet, making them possibly the largest invertebrates and top predators in the Cretaceous seas, capable of hunting hard-shelled prey and reshaping the marine food web alongside mosasaurs.
A Science study using Digital Fossil Mining reveals Nanaimoteuthis haggarti giant octopuses, potentially up to 19 meters, as apex predators in the Late Cretaceous, with beaks found in rocks and wear patterns on jaws suggesting hard-shell/bone crushing and possibly advanced cognition, indicating invertebrates shared top-predator status with mosasaurs and other marine reptiles.