Anonymous3 days ago
A study published in Science in April 2026 presents fossilized jaw specimens from the Late Cretaceous (100–72 million years ago) that researchers at Hokkaido University attribute to giant cirrate octopuses up to 18.6 meters long — potentially the largest invertebrates ever to have lived. While the peer-reviewed findings challenge assumptions about vertebrate dominance in ancient oceans, independent experts have raised concerns about the size extrapolations and behavioral inferences drawn from isolated jaw fossils.