Study: Octopus Ancestors Lived Before Dinosaurs
2022-03-13
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1Scientists say a fossil of the oldest known octopus ancestor suggests that the animal lived before the dinosaurs.
2The researchers have estimated the fossil is about 330 million years old.
3It was discovered in what is now the western American state of Montana.
4The fossil was donated to Canada's Royal Ontario Museum in 1988.
5But it was not considered an important find for many years as scientists studied other fossils found at the same site.
6But then some researchers discovered that the fossil showed the many limbs of an animal and began to study it further.
7The 12-centimeter fossil has 10 limbs, each with two rows of suckers.
8Modern octopuses have eight limbs.
9The scientists say the ancient creature likely lived in shallow ocean areas.
10The researchers say the fossil suggests that octopuses lived millions of years earlier than scientists believed.
11This means that the animals developed before the dinosaurs.
12The team recently reported its findings in the publication Nature Communications.
13"It's very rare to find soft tissue fossils, except in a few places," Mike Vecchione told The Associated Press.
14He is a zoologist with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who was not involved in the study.
15"This is a very exciting finding. It pushes back the ancestry much farther than previously known," Vecchione said.
16Christopher Whalen is a scientist with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
17He was a co-writer of the study.
18He told the AP the well-preserved fossil showed evidence that the ancient octopus had the ability to release a dark liquid to help it hide from predators, just like modern octopuses.
19The creature, known as a vampyropod, was likely the ancestor of both modern octopuses and vampire squid, the researchers said.
20Such creatures are more similar to an octopus than a squid.
21The team said until now, the "oldest known definitive" vampyropod was believed to have lived around 240 million years ago.
22The scientists named the fossil Syllipsimopodi bideni, after American President Joe Biden.
23They said they decided on the name to show respect for Biden's science and research policies.
24I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists say a fossil of the oldest known octopus ancestor suggests that the animal lived before the dinosaurs. 2The researchers have estimated the fossil is about 330 million years old. It was discovered in what is now the western American state of Montana. 3The fossil was donated to Canada's Royal Ontario Museum in 1988. But it was not considered an important find for many years as scientists studied other fossils found at the same site. 4But then some researchers discovered that the fossil showed the many limbs of an animal and began to study it further. 5The 12-centimeter fossil has 10 limbs, each with two rows of suckers. Modern octopuses have eight limbs. The scientists say the ancient creature likely lived in shallow ocean areas. 6The researchers say the fossil suggests that octopuses lived millions of years earlier than scientists believed. This means that the animals developed before the dinosaurs. 7The team recently reported its findings in the publication Nature Communications. 8"It's very rare to find soft tissue fossils, except in a few places," Mike Vecchione told The Associated Press. He is a zoologist with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who was not involved in the study. "This is a very exciting finding. It pushes back the ancestry much farther than previously known," Vecchione said. 9Christopher Whalen is a scientist with the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He was a co-writer of the study. He told the AP the well-preserved fossil showed evidence that the ancient octopus had the ability to release a dark liquid to help it hide from predators, just like modern octopuses. 10The creature, known as a vampyropod, was likely the ancestor of both modern octopuses and vampire squid, the researchers said. Such creatures are more similar to an octopus than a squid. 11The team said until now, the "oldest known definitive" vampyropod was believed to have lived around 240 million years ago. 12The scientists named the fossil Syllipsimopodi bideni, after American President Joe Biden. They said they decided on the name to show respect for Biden's science and research policies. 13I'm Bryan Lynn. 14The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 15We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 16________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18fossil - n. part of an animal or plant that lived a long time ago that has been preserved in rock 19limb - n. the arm or leg of a person or animal 20sucker - n. an organ that some animals use to hold or stick to something 21shallow - adj. not deep 22preserve - v. keep something the same or prevent it from being damaged or destroyed 23predator - n. an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food 24definitive - adj. certain and not likely to change