Shockingly Powerful Giant Octopuses Ruled the Seas 100 Million Years Ago

A Hokkaido University-led team identified fossil octopus jaws from Japan and Canada dating to 100–72 million years ago.

The worn, powerful jaws point to very large finned octopuses that actively hunted prey in Cretaceous seas.

The findings suggest early octopuses were top marine predators, not minor deep-sea creatures, and may have shown side-preference while feeding.

The study pushes back the octopus timeline and reshapes views of cephalopod evolution and ancient ocean ecosystems.