Unveiling the Hidden Giants of the Cretaceous Depths

Imagine a world where the oceans teemed with colossal creatures locked in a fierce battle for supremacy, not just among massive marine reptiles but also with soft-bodied invertebrates that rivaled them in size and ferocity. Recent research has brought to light evidence of giant kraken-like octopuses that prowled the Late Cretaceous seas around 100 to 72 million years ago. These enormous cephalopods, relatives of today's deep-sea finned octopuses, may have grown to lengths of up to 19 meters, making them potential apex predators in an era dominated by dinosaurs on land and mosasaurs in the water.

This breakthrough stems from meticulous analysis of fossilized jaws, revealing wear patterns that suggest these ancient octopuses crunched through hard shells and even bones. Far from being passive drifters, they actively hunted, reshaping our understanding of prehistoric marine food webs. The study, led by paleontologists at Hokkaido University in Japan, combines traditional fieldwork with cutting-edge digital techniques, highlighting how modern academic research continues to rewrite history.

The Team Revolutionizing Paleontology at Hokkaido University

At the heart of this discovery is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Shin Ikegami and Yasuhiro Iba from Hokkaido University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Their team, including researchers from the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo and international collaborators like Jörg Mutterlose from Universität Hamburg, Germany, exemplifies the global nature of higher education research today. Ikegami, a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science fellow, developed innovative digital tools that unearthed hidden fossils, demonstrating how university labs are pushing technological boundaries in earth sciences.

Published on April 23, 2026, in the prestigious journal Science, the paper "Earliest octopuses were giant top predators in Cretaceous oceans" draws on specimens from Japan and Canada. This work not only advances cephalopod paleontology but also underscores the role of Japanese universities in leading fossil research. For students and faculty interested in pursuing similar paths, such studies offer inspiring models of interdisciplinary science blending geology, biology, and artificial intelligence.

From Rock to Revelation: The Fossil Discovery Process

The journey began with 15 previously reported large jaws from Late Cretaceous sediments—one set from Hokkaido, Japan, and others from Vancouver Island, Canada. These chitinous structures, the toughest parts of soft-bodied cephalopods, survived due to their low-energy depositional environments, free from wave abrasion. But the real innovation came with 'digital fossil-mining': researchers ground rock slabs layer by layer, imaged them at high resolution, and applied a custom zero-shot learning AI model to reconstruct 12 additional jaws virtually. This method, pioneered at Hokkaido University, processes vast datasets to reveal pigmentation patterns and ontogenetic changes invisible to the naked eye.

• High-resolution grinding tomography for 3D imaging.
• AI-driven zero-shot learning for precise fossil detection.
• Exclusion of preparation damage through pristine preservation analysis.

Dating from the Cenomanian to Campanian stages (approximately 100 to 72 million years ago), these 27 specimens provided a comprehensive dataset, extending the fossil record of finned octopuses (suborder Cirrata) by 15 million years.

Taxonomy Unraveled: Nanaimoteuthis Enters the Scene

Once misclassified under Vampyromorpha or other groups, these jaws belong to the superorder Octobrachia within Octopoda. The two species redefined are Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, long-bodied cirrate octopuses with broad-winged jaws suited for powerful bites. N. jeletzkyi, from earlier Cenomanian deposits, represents smaller individuals, while N. haggarti from Santonian-Campanian rocks boasts the largest specimens. These revisions, based on 3D morphology and growth patterns, highlight the diversity of Cretaceous cephalopods in the circum-North Pacific.

For the full taxonomic details and 3D models, explore the original Science publication.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Scaling Up: How Big Were These Cretaceous Krakens?

Body size estimation relied on allometric scaling from modern long-bodied cirrates, where total length is about 4.2 times mantle length, and mantle length correlates with jaw size. The largest N. haggarti jaw, around 80 mm, suggests a mantle of 4.43 meters and total length up to 18.6 meters—surpassing modern colossal squid by half. Even conservative estimates place them at 7-19 meters, positioning N. haggarti as potentially the largest invertebrate in Earth's history.

The Bite That Tells a Story: Jaw Wear and Predatory Habits

Distinctive wear—chips, scratches, polish, and asymmetric grinding (up to 10% length loss on one side)—mirrors durophagous modern cephalopods like those crushing crab shells. These patterns indicate repeated contact with prey harder than chitin jaws, such as ammonite shells, shark skeletons, or even mosasaur bones. Unlike pointed squid beaks for soft flesh, these broad jaws were built for demolition.

• Asymmetric wear suggesting right- or left-handed biting (lateralization).
• Polish from friction against bony structures.
• Cracks from high-force impacts on armored prey.

This evidence positions them as active hunters, not scavengers. See detailed jaw analysis in Science News coverage.

Challenging the Food Web: Invertebrates as Apex Predators

In the Late Cretaceous, oceans were thought ruled by vertebrates—mosasaurs up to 18 meters, plesiosaurs, and sharks. Yet these octopuses matched or exceeded them, imposing top-down control. Their presence drove prey evolution toward thicker shells, mirroring vertebrate-driven changes elsewhere. This dual dominance by invertebrates and vertebrates created a dynamic ecosystem, with krakens contesting the bounty alongside reptilian giants.

Brains Behind the Brawn: Intelligence in Ancient Octopuses

Lateralized jaw wear hints at advanced cognition, akin to human handedness or modern octopus tool use. As soft-bodied innovators, these cirrates likely possessed large brains for problem-solving, navigation, and ambushing. Convergent evolution with vertebrates—trading shells for size, strength, and smarts—marks a pivotal adaptation in cephalopod history.

Photo by Karl Solano on Unsplash

Tech Transforming Fossils: AI in University Labs

Hokkaido's AI model exemplifies how higher education is integrating machine learning into paleontology. This 'zero-shot learning' detects fossils without prior training, democratizing access to hidden specimens. Such tools empower global researchers, fostering collaborations across universities.

Ecosystem Legacies and Future Horizons

These findings reshape views on biodiversity drivers, showing invertebrates shaped Cretaceous seas profoundly. Future expeditions may uncover gut contents or bite marks, confirming diets. For aspiring paleontologists, this underscores the thrill of university-led discovery. Dive deeper via the Nature summary.

With ongoing advancements, who knows what other krakens await in the rock record?