Earliest octopuses were giant top predators in Cretaceous oceans
白亜紀の巨大なタコの復元画
Joint press release (in Japanese) by Hokkaido University, Morgenrot, Osaka Metropolitan University, Chuo University, Niigata University
Abstract
Top predators drive changes in ecosystem structure. For the last ~370 million years, large-sized vertebrates have dominated the apex of the marine food chain, while invertebrates have served as smaller prey. Here we describe invertebrate top predators from this “age of vertebrates,” the earliest finned octopuses (Cirrata) from Late Cretaceous sediments (~100 to 72 million years ago), as identified based on huge, exceptionally well-preserved fossil jaws and their wear. This extensive wear suggests dynamic crushing of hard skeletons. Asymmetric wear patterns further indicate lateralized behavior, suggesting advanced intelligence. With a calculated total length of ~7 to 19 meters,….
Read more on Science
Article Information:
Shin Ikegami, Jörg Mutterlose, Kanta Sugiura, Yusuke Takeda, Mehmet Oguz Derin, Aya Kubota , Kazuki Tainaka, Takahiro Harada, Harufumi Nishida, and Yasuhiro Iba
DOI:10.1126/science.aea6285
