Earliest known octopus is not an octopus after all

Earliest known octopus is not an octopus after all4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAlex Meakinin ReadingUniversity of ReadingNew technology has revealed teeth within the fossil, meaning it cannot be an octopusA 300‑million‑year‑old fossil, previously thought to be the remains of the world's oldest octopus, has been identified as a different animal.Using the latest technology to search inside the fossil, University of Reading researchers discovered tiny teeth that proved it was actually an animal related to a modern Nautilus, a multi-tentacled animal with an external shell.Zoologists believe the animal decayed for weeks before it was fossilised and this led to the case of mistaken identity.The fossil, named Pohlsepia mazonensis, had featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the earliest known octopus.Dr Thomas Clements, lead author and lecturer in invertebrate zoology at the University of Reading, said: "It turns out the world's most famous octopus fossil was never an octopus at all. "It was a nautilus relative that had been decomposing for weeks before it became buried and later preserved in rock, and that decomposition is what made it look so convincingly octopus-like."Scientists identified Pohlsepia as an octopus 25 years ago, but using modern techniques showed us what was beneath the surface to the rock, which finally cracked the case. "We now have the oldest soft tissue evidence of a nautiloid ever found, and a much clearer picture of when octopuses actually first appeared on Earth."Sometimes, re-examining controversial fossils with new techniques reveals tiny clues that lead to really exciting discoveries."University of ReadingAn artist's impression of what the animal would have looked likeThe fossil was discovered at a site at Mazon Creek in Illinois, US, with the first analysis of it published in 2000.Scientists thought the fossil showed eight arms, fins and other features typical of an octopus.Synch...