- A 300-million-year-old fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis, previously believed to be the world's oldest octopus, has been re-identified by scientists.
- Researchers at the University of Reading used advanced synchrotron imaging to scan the fossil, revealing tiny teeth previously invisible to the naked eye.
- These teeth, part of a radula feeding structure, were inconsistent with octopus anatomy, which typically has fewer teeth per row.
- The findings suggest the fossil is actually a relative of a modern Nautilus, a nautiloid, which had partially decomposed before fossilisation.
- This re-evaluation indicates that octopuses likely appeared much later, during the Jurassic period, significantly altering the understanding of their evolutionary timeline.
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