Meet the 19-meter Cretaceous kraken that swam with mosasaurs
Summary
Scientists discovered fossilized remains of very large, finned octopuses that lived about 80 million years ago. These ancient octopuses could grow up to 19 meters long and were likely top predators in the late Cretaceous oceans.Key Facts
- The octopuses lived during the late Cretaceous period, about 80 million years ago.
- They were finned and lacked bones, unlike other large marine predators of the time.
- Fossilized remains found were their hard beaks, similar to a parrot’s beak.
- Researchers used a new method called Digital Fossil Mining, which involves grinding rock layers and using AI to find fossils inside.
- The species found is named Nanaimoteuthis haggarti.
- Size estimates suggest these octopuses could reach between 6.6 and 18.6 meters in length.
- The discovery challenges the previous belief that only large vertebrate animals were apex predators in that era.
- Size estimates were made using comparisons with modern finned octopuses.
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