
Murray-Darling Basin's apex predator back from the brink
Murray cod numbers have bounced back across much of Victoria and NSW, and that's good news for the whole Murray-Darling Basin ecosystem.

Murray cod numbers have bounced back across much of Victoria and NSW, and that's good news for the whole Murray-Darling Basin ecosystem.

Researchers using a new Digital Fossil Mining technique have discovered fossilized jaws from giant Cretaceous octopods that reached up to 19 meters in length, challenging the long-held view that vertebrates alone dominated the Mesozoic marine food chain. The species Nanaimoteuthis haggarti had powerful beaks showing wear patterns from crushing hard prey, and lateralized behavior suggesting high intelligence comparable to modern octopuses.

Researchers have discovered fossilized remains of two giant octopus species from the late Cretaceous period (100 million years ago) in northern Japan. Using innovative digital fossil-mining techniques with AI, they found jaws inside concretions that indicate the creatures reached up to 60 feet in length — larger than a school bus and rivaling other apex predators of the era. These ancient octopuses likely fed on hard-shelled prey like shrimp and lobster, and showed signs of right-side jaw dominance suggesting early brain development.