Dossier
Pohlsepia mazonensis
Coverage of Pohlsepia mazonensis in the Nexus archive.
- Ancient ocean mystery deepens as long-misidentified fossil is finally revealed by researchers
A 300-million-year-old fossil initially identified as the world's oldest octopus is now reclassified as the oldest soft-tissue nautilus after analysis revealed distinct dental features. Researchers from the University of Reading used synchrotron technology to examine the fossil, highlighting a significant gap in the fossil record for octopuses.
- Oldest octopus fossil found to not be an octopus
A fossil initially thought to be the oldest octopus, Pohlsepia mazonensis, was reclassified as a decomposed nautiloid after advanced imaging analysis. The study by Thomas Clements and colleagues challenges previous assumptions about cephalopod evolution timelines.