Discover Top Posts Tagged with #nanaimoteuthis

Burgess Shale will be posted later today but here already the two pieces I did afterwards:

Nanaimoteuthis (with Parapuzosia) and Anchisaurus.

I will probably post more about the "Cretaceous Kraken" tomorrow.

#paleoart #sciart #paleostream #palaeoblr #cretaceous #dinosaur #kraken #Anchisaurus #Nanaimoteuthis

Nanaimoteuthis: Earliest octopuses were giant top predators in Cretaceous oceans

Shin Ikegami, Jörg Mutterlose, Kanta Sugiura, et al.

Abstract

Top predators drive changes in ecosystem structure. For the last ~370 million years, large-sized vertebrates have dominated the apex of the marine food chain, while invertebrates have served as smaller prey. Here we describe invertebrate top predators from this “age of vertebrates,” the earliest finned octopuses (Cirrata) from Late Cretaceous sediments (~100 to 72 million years ago), as identified based on huge, exceptionally well-preserved fossil jaws and their wear. his extensive wear suggests dynamic crushing of hard skeletons. Asymmetric wear patterns further indicate lateralized behavior, suggesting advanced intelligence. With a calculated total length of ~7 to 19 meters, these octopuses may represent the largest invertebrates thus described, rivaling contemporaneous giant marine reptiles. Our findings show that powerful jaws, and the loss of superficial skeletons, convergently transformed cephalopods and marine vertebrates into huge, intelligent predators.

Read the paper here:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6285

#cephalopod #prehistoric #mollusk #cirrate octopod #octopus #animals #nature #ocean #paleonotology #Nanaimoteuthis

#nanaimoteuthis #or at least a bad and false reconstitution #pseudopaleo #they are giant octopus with huge fins related with the dumbo octopus #so i took the largest of the family and added elephant ears #octopus #elephant #sea creature #kraken #monster #chimera #bestiary #creature design #ink #the Unknown #1061 #octem 133 #ignis 5

Woah… octopus…

Nanaimoteuthis haggarti

Eocarcharia dinops

Dibango volans

Conuropsis fratercula

Bos acutifrons

#art #my art #paleontology #paleoart #dinosaur #paleoblr #cretaceous #theropod #spinosauridae #parakeet #parrot #cow #bull #fish #octopus #nanaimoteuthis

Some Nanaimoteuthis paleoart

#nanaimoteuthis #cephalopod #octopus #prehistoric #prehistoric animals #prehistoric creatures #marine life #paleoart #paleo art

Based on the original illustration by ddinodan_ on Instagram.

Nanaimoteuthis is an extinct genus of cirrate octopus known from the Late Cretaceous of Canada and Japan, represented entirely by fossilized beaks. The genus was established in 2008 by Kazushige Tanabe and colleagues, with Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi designated as the type species. These fossils were first discovered in the Pender Formation of the Nanaimo Group on Vancouver Island, and later additional material was found in the Yezo Group of Hokkaido. In 2026, researchers synonymized the previously separate genus Paleocirroteuthis with Nanaimoteuthis, consolidating several species under this single genus and confirming its placement within cirrate octopuses.

The genus includes two recognized species: N. jeletzkyi and N. haggarti. Earlier estimates based on comparisons with modern vampire squid suggested mantle lengths ranging from roughly 54 to 70 centimeters (21-28 in) for some specimens, with total lengths of up to 2.4 meters (7 ft 10 in). However, more recent analyses of lower jaw fossils revealed that N. haggarti possessed a hood length significantly larger than that of the largest known giant squid, implying a mantle length between 0.67 and 1.84 meters (2 ft 2 in - 6 ft 0 in) and a total body length potentially reaching 7.7 meters (25 ft 3 in). These findings indicate that Nanaimoteuthis species were among the largest octopuses known from the fossil record.

Some estimates—particularly those highlighted in press coverage—suggest that N. haggarti may have reached extraordinary sizes, possibly between 6.6 and 18.6 meters (22 and 61 ft) in total length, rivaling or surpassing modern giant and colossal squids. Although the upper range of these estimates remains debated, the genus clearly represents one of the largest invertebrate predators of the Cretaceous seas. Its powerful beak, preserved in the fossil record, hints at a formidable carnivore capable of preying on fish, crustaceans, and other marine animals, contributing to a more complex picture of ancient marine ecosystems where invertebrates could achieve apex predator status.

Can you do the cretaceous kraken (Nanaimoteuthis haggarti) in both paleo pines and your regular childrens book style?

Youll have to forgive me as Cephalopods are not my strong suit but here you are! I had to look this thing up and learn that the upper size estimates of it have it at 65 feet long (19m) which is absolutely insane to think about. Also that the wear on the beak fossils suggest it preyed on large marine reptiles of the time.