A prehistoric fossil previously believed to be the world’s oldest octopus has been reclassified. Thomas Clements, a zoology professor at England’s University of Reading and lead researcher, stated in a statement that the remains actually belong to a different sea creature.
The fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis, listed by Guinness World Records as the earliest known octopus, is now identified as a relative of a nautilus. This cephalopod has both tentacles and a shell. The discovery was made after scientists used a synchrotron to examine the fossil rock, revealing a radula with 11 teeth per row – too many for an octopus.
The next oldest-known octopus fossil is only about 90 million years old, creating a significant gap in knowledge about early cephalopod evolution. Guinness World Records has since removed Pohlsepia mazonensis from its list of the world’s oldest octopus. The Field Museum in Chicago houses the original specimen.