{"id":127594,"date":"2026-04-13T13:50:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-ocean-mystery-deepens-as-long-misidentified-fossil-is-finally-revealed-by-researchers-127594"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:50:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:50:33","slug":"ancient-ocean-mystery-deepens-as-long-misidentified-fossil-is-finally-revealed-by-researchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/ancient-ocean-mystery-deepens-as-long-misidentified-fossil-is-finally-revealed-by-researchers-127594","title":{"rendered":"Ancient ocean mystery deepens as long-misidentified fossil is finally revealed by researchers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

More than two decades after scientists identified a fossil as the world’s oldest octopus<\/a> \u2014 officials now say it wasn’t one at all.<\/p>\n

A recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B<\/a> found that the fossil Pohlsepia mazonensis \u2014 a 300-million-year-old sea creature found in the Mazon Creek fossil beds of northeastern Illinois \u2014 was closer to a nautilus than an octopus.<\/p>\n

Researchers now believe the creature was a relative of the nautilus, which is a shell-covered cephalopod with tentacles.<\/p>\n

NEW ‘HELL HERON’ SPINOSAURUS SPECIES FOUND IN REMOTE SAHARA 70 YEARS AFTER FOSSIL CLUE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cephalopods are a class of marine animals<\/a> that includes octopuses, squids and cuttlefish, and are known for their tentacles and advanced nervous systems \u2014 and for lacking rigid skeletons.<\/p>\n

The fossil was identified as the world’s oldest octopus in 2000 \u2014 but is now considered the oldest soft-tissue nautilus in the world.<\/p>\n

University of Reading zoologist Thomas Clements, the lead researcher of the new study, told The Associated Press the fossil is a “very difficult [one] to interpret.”<\/p>\n

He added, “To look at it, it kind of just looks like a white mush.”<\/p>\n

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND ARTIFACTS OLDER THAN STONEHENGE BENEATH BRITAIN’S HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT: ‘INCREDIBLY RARE’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“If you look at it, and you are a cephalopod researcher, and you\u2019re interested in everything octopus, it does superficially look a lot like a deep-water octopus.”<\/p>\n

The determining factor, Clements said, was its teeth \u2014 which researchers examined using a synchrotron to peer inside the fossil.<\/p>\n

They found that each row had 11 teeth \u2014 more than the seven or nine typically found in octopuses.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“This has too many teeth, so it can\u2019t be an octopus,” Clements said.<\/p>\n

“And that\u2019s how we realized that the world\u2019s oldest octopus is actually a fossil nautilus, not an octopus.”<\/p>\n

The fossil had the same teeth as a nautiloid called Paleocadmus pohli, an ancient creature found in the same area.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Researchers say the mix-up likely occurred because the creature decomposed and lost its shell before it was fossilized.<\/p>\n

The next oldest-known octopus fossil is about 90 million years old \u2014 around 210 million years younger than the fossil Pohlsepia mazonensis.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a huge gap,” Clements said, noting it had long raised questions.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“And so that big gap got researchers sort of questioning, \u2018Is this thing actually an octopus?'”<\/p>\n

The fossil is currently held in the Field Museum in Chicago<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Paul Mayer, who manages the museum’s fossil invertebrate collections, said he was “a little surprised” by the new classification, but acknowledged that scientists have questioned the finding for years.<\/p>\n

“People have been questioning whether it was an octopus ever since the original paper was first published in 2000,” Mayer told the AP.<\/p>\n

He added that the news “is great for our collections, and hopefully new discoveries will be made and new stories will be revealed.”<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed reporting.<\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/ancient-ocean-mystery-deepens-long-misidentified-fossil-finally-revealed-researchers <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than two decades after scientists identified a fossil as the world’s oldest octopus \u2014 officials now say it wasn’t one at all. 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