Syllipsimopodi Bideni

Description

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Context: A fossil unearthed in central Montana of a species named Syllipsimopodi bideni represents the oldest-known relative of today's octopuses and boasts 10 arms.

Syllipsimopodi bideni:

About 4-3/4 inches (12 cm) long, it had a torpedo-shaped body and squid-like appearance.
It also is the oldest-known creature with suckers, which enable the arms to better grasp prey and other objects.
The fossil help in understanding of how octopuses evolved.
The preserved fossil reveals two parallel rows of suckers up and down each arm, dates to about 328 million years ago.
"Syllipsimopodi" means "prehensile foot" - its arms are an evolutionary modification of the foot of mollusks - and "bideni" recognizes U.S. President Joe Biden, who had just been inaugurated when the study was submitted for publication.
Syllipsimopodi represents the only member of the octopus lineage with 10 arms, meaning two were lost in later evolution.
Capture of prey is facilitated by the two longer tentacles with the eight shorter arms helping to manipulate the prey and transport it to the beak.
Syllipsimopodi prowled the warm waters of a tropical bay - Montana at the time was situated close to the equator. It may have been a mid-level predator, eating smaller invertebrates.
Syllipsimopodi lived during the Carboniferous Period, a time of important evolutionary changes in other marine life that included the appearance of more modern-looking fishes.

Octopuses:

Octopuses, ranging from the one-inch (2.5 cm) star-sucker pygmy octopus to the 30-foot (9-meter) giant Pacific octopus, are known for their otherworldly appearance, with bulbous heads, large eyes and beak-like jaws.
They are adept at camouflage - changing colors and even textures to mimic their surroundings - and can maneuver their bodies into tiny cracks and crevices.
They also are capable of tool use and problem-solving.
Octopuses are the most intelligent invertebrates, and among the most intelligent animals overall.
Octopuses are cephalopods, a marine invertebrate group dating back to roughly 530 million years ago and distinguished by having arms or tentacles. Cephalopods today also include squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses.

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/primordial-octopus-was-up-arms-10-instead-eight-2022-03-08/