Researchers identify giant Cretaceous octopus as 'real-life kraken'

A giant octopus, likened to a mythical creature said to be capable of dragging ships to their doom, roamed the seas during the age of the dinosaurs, according to researchers.

Fossils of its jaw structure indicate it ranged from seven to 19m long and lived during the Cretaceous period, about 86 to 72 million years ago.

The species - Nanaimoteuthis haggarti - was an apex predator and is one of the largest invertebrates ever recorded.

Researchers compared the creature to the mythical kraken, a legendary, colossal sea monster from Scandinavian folklore.

"These animals were remarkable. With their large bodies, long arms, powerful jaws and advanced behaviour, they represent what could be described as a real Cretaceous kraken", said palaeontologist and lead author Yasuhiro Iba of Hokkaido University.

The body of a modern giant squid can reach 12m in length, but Nanaimoteuthis haggarti would have been even bigger.

Mr Iba said his work showed "giant invertebrates, namely octopuses, also functioned as apex predators in the Cretaceous sea".

"These giant octopuses likely occupied the same ecological tier and may have competed with marine reptiles and sharks within the same ecosystem," he added.

The fossils studied came from Japan and Vancouver Island in Canada and showed intense wear on the creature's "beak", the only rigid part of an octopus's body.

This indicates repeated crushing of hard structures such as bones and shells, suggesting it hunted large fish, shelled tentacled creatures, clams and other large prey.

Seafarers can rest easy, however, Nanaimoteuthis haggarti died out in the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.