Scientists Find Ancient Octopus as Big as a School Bus

Imagine an octopus nearly as long as a school bus gliding through ancient seas. Japanese researchers made that imagination real this year when they described fossils from a massive extinct octopus species called Nanaimoteuthis haggarti.

Based on a fossilized jawbone, scientists estimate this prehistoric creature reached between 22 to 61 feet in length. At its largest, that's about two-thirds the size of an adult blue whale.

"It suggests that it may have been among the largest invertebrates ever known," says Yasuhiro Iba, a paleontologist at Hokkaido University in Japan. These gigantic predators roamed the oceans between 100 million and 72 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period when dinosaurs still walked the Earth.

But octopus discoveries in 2024 weren't limited to ancient giants. Researchers also captured rare photos of baby Patagonian octopuses developing inside their eggs off the coast of Argentina.

The images show tiny black dots inside translucent eggs. Those dots are the developing eyes of baby octopuses getting ready to hatch. Female Patagonian octopuses lay their eggs inside oyster shells and guard them constantly, even stopping eating entirely during this protective period.

Scientists still don't know enough about this common regional species to determine its global conservation status. However, catches in Patagonia have declined over the past 50 years, making these glimpses into their early life even more valuable.

Meanwhile, in the Galapagos, scientists confirmed a brand new species of blue octopus no bigger than a golf ball. A remotely operated vehicle discovered the tiny creature during a 2015 deep-sea expedition, but researchers only recently confirmed it's new to science.

The species, now named Microeledone galapagensis, has unusually stubby arms that puzzle scientists. "If you gather prey by moving your arms through the sediment, wouldn't it be better to have longer arms with more suckers than short little arms?" asks lead researcher Janet Voight.

Why This Inspires

These discoveries remind us how much wonder still hides in our oceans. From massive ancient predators to golf-ball-sized modern marvels, octopuses continue surprising scientists with their diversity and adaptability. Each new finding teaches us more about ocean ecosystems past and present, helping protect these intelligent creatures for the future.

The ocean keeps its secrets well, but patient researchers keep unlocking them.