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Octopus Crown Lost: Ancient Fossil Reclassified
9 Apr
Summary
- 300-million-year-old fossil no longer considered oldest octopus.
- New research identifies fossilized remains as a nautilus relative.
- Synchrotron scans revealed teeth inconsistent with octopus classification.
A fossil previously recognized as the world's oldest octopus, dating back 300 million years, has been reclassified as a nautilus relative. This finding, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, resolves longstanding scientific debate surrounding the fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis. Researchers employed a synchrotron, a powerful light source, to examine the fossil's internal structure.
The analysis revealed a radula with too many teeth for an octopus, instead matching that of a fossil nautiloid. This discovery revises our understanding of cephalopod evolutionary timelines, as the next oldest octopus fossil is only 90 million years old. The Field Museum in Chicago houses the fossil, which is now acknowledged as potentially the oldest soft-tissue nautilus known globally.
