New fossil discoveries suggest existence of giant octopuses as large as lorries

"Scientists have believed that sharks and giant marine reptiles dominated the seas during the Cretaceous era, such as 11-metre-long mosasaurs and 12-metre-long plesiosaurs. But new fossils suggest that early octopuses could have been just as big, with one potentially measuring 19 metres in length, the same size as a lorry, or two double-decker buses."

"Palaeontologists from Hokkaido University used a new technique called digital fossil mining to revisit the 15 large fossil jaws previously identified as belonging to early octopus relatives. The technique involves grinding away a super-thin layer from the fossil-bearing matrix, taking a high-resolution photo, then repeating the process thousands of times to create a 3D, full-colour model."

"Using the technique on late Cretaceous sediments collected from Hokkaido Island, northern Japan, one jaw was found to surpass that of a living octopus, indicating that these ancient creatures could have been much larger than previously thought."

Recent fossil discoveries indicate that early octopuses may have been as large as 19 meters, comparable to a lorry. Palaeontologists from Hokkaido University utilized digital fossil mining to analyze large fossil jaws previously linked to early octopus relatives. This innovative technique involves grinding away thin layers of fossil-bearing matrix to create detailed 3D models. The findings challenge the long-held belief that sharks and giant marine reptiles were the dominant marine creatures during the Cretaceous period, suggesting that giant cephalopods also played a significant role in the ancient oceans.

Read at www.independent.co.uk