Overview
- The Hokkaido University–led team, whose paper appeared Friday in Science, estimated body size from octopus beak fossils found in Hokkaido and on Vancouver Island in western Canada.
- Measurements indicate two species, with older forms about 3 to 8 meters long and later forms about 7 to 19 meters.
- Researchers sliced fossil-bearing rock into thin sections, rebuilt 3D volumes, and used AI to detect and measure the hidden beaks.
- Wear and scratches on the beaks point to a very strong bite, prey such as clams and fish, and asymmetric use that hints at handedness.
- The authors propose these animals could have been apex predators in some Late Cretaceous seas, while noting the interpretation needs more fossil evidence.