The deep oceans of 100 million years ago, during the age of the dinosaurs, may have harboured a fearsome apex predator: the octopus. New analyses of fossilised jaws suggest that colossal, kraken-like octopuses once hunted alongside other marine giants, boasting eight arms and bodies that stretched over 18 metres (60 feet), rivalling the carnivorous marine reptiles of the era.
"These krakens must have been a fearsome sight to behold," commented University of Alabama paleontologist Adiel Klompmaker, who was not involved in the new research. While dinosaur enthusiasts are familiar with the sharp-toothed sharks, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs that dominated late Cretaceous waters, octopuses have typically been excluded from the ranks of top predators.
