The World's Oldest Octopus

An artist's drawing of what this sea creature might have looked like. A 300 million-year-old fossil was thought to be the world's oldest octopus. But new research shows it was actually a different sea creature. This fossil, named Pohlsepia mazonensis, was even in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest known octopus.

Discovery

Scientists thought this fossil had eight arms, fins, and other features. But new research found small teeth in the fossil. These teeth are similar to those of a modern Nautilus, a sea creature with many arms and a shell.

New Technology

Scientists used new technologies to study the fossil. They used beams of light brighter than the sun to scan the fossil and found new details. These details showed that the fossil was not an octopus.

Past

The fossil was found in the Mazon Creek site in Illinois, USA, and was officially named in 2000. Back then, scientists thought it had eight arms, fins, and other features. But new research shows it was a different sea creature.

Did You Know?

Octopuses are very smart and talented animals. Some can even change their cells to escape. Octopuses are also great swimmers and can communicate with other sea creatures.

Conclusion

This discovery shows that octopuses first appeared during the Jurassic period, which is much later than previously thought. Scientists think this discovery will help us learn more about octopuses. It also shows how new technologies can help scientists learn more.