""I wasn't expecting any octopus of this magnitude at all," says Fernando Angel Fernandez-Alvarez, a zoologist at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography who wasn't involved in the study. "And we now have the proof that they were living in the past.""
""I already thought octopuses were extraordinary animals," says Yasuhiro Iba, a paleontologist at Hokkaido University and lead author on the new publication. "But this study made me feel even more strongly that their uniqueness has deep evolutionary roots.""
Research reveals evidence of ancient colossal octopuses, believed to be the largest invertebrates ever described, measuring up to 60 feet long. These octopuses lived during the late Cretaceous period and likely preyed on shrimp and lobster. The findings are significant due to the rarity of octopus fossils, which typically do not preserve well because of their soft tissue composition. This discovery enhances understanding of octopus evolution and their unique characteristics.
Read at www.npr.org
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