Cretaceous Octopus: Longer Than a School Bus?

by Jake Hebert, Ph.D. | May. 18, 2026

Based on a new fossil discovery and reevaluation of previously known fossil material, paleontologists have described two species of giant Cretaceous fossil octopuses, Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti.1–3 These fossil octopuses belong to the suborder Cirrata, or Cirrina. Cirrate octopuses have cilia-like strands on their arm suckers and fins on their mantles (large, umbrellalike organs that are sometimes mistaken for the head of the octopus).

These octopuses perished in the Genesis Flood, along with countless other marine creatures entombed in underwater debris flows triggered by the geological upheaval caused by the Flood. ICR scientists think Cretaceous strata were deposited near the high point of the Flood, 150 days after the Flood began.4

Cirrate octopuses still swim in the ocean (see image above for example), but the modern versions are not terribly large. The biggest extant cirrate octopus is thought to be Inopinoteuthis magna, with one female specimen that was 5.5 feet long.5

However, scientists think these Cretaceous fossil octopuses were enormous.

In living, long-bodied, finned octopuses, the total body length is a little more than four times the length of the mantle. Likewise, there is a known relationship between the size of the mantle and the size of the jaw. By combining this information with the sizes of octopus jaw fossils, the scientists were able to estimate that N. jeletzkyi was between 10 and 26 feet long, while the larger N. haggarti was between 23 and 62 feet long. To put that size in perspective, a typical school bus is 45 feet long! The paper’s authors noted, “The Cirrata thus had among the largest body sizes of all organisms in the Cretaceous oceans.”1

This is just one more example of the widespread phenomenon of fossil giantism. Many pre-Flood fossil creatures were gigantic. These include not just extinct giants like dinosaurs but also the ancestors of creatures that are still alive today.6,7

Interestingly, bigger animals generally live longer than smaller animals. We have growth data for some massive fossil creatures, including dinosaurs, crocodilians, sharks, oysters, and clams.6–10 These large animals took a long time to mature, and creatures that mature slowly generally live longer than creatures that mature more quickly.11

Huge body sizes and extended maturation times could be indirect evidence that animals in the pre-Flood world had very long lifespans. This makes sense, because the historical information in Genesis indicates that people in the pre-Flood world lived very long lives and apparently, based on the advanced ages at which Genesis patriarchs are listed as having sons, took a long time to reach sexual maturity.12

Obviously, the staggering size of many fossil creatures suggests they had access to abundant food and lived in an environment that was, even after the Fall, still “very good” in many ways (Genesis 1:31). The good news is that the groaning of this present-day, post-Flood world will be removed when the Lord Jesus, our Creator, Redeemer, and coming King returns (Romans 8:18–25)!

References

  1. Ikegami, S. et al. 2026. Earliest Octopuses Were Giant Top Predators in Cretaceous Oceans. Science. 392 (6796): 406–410.
  2. Hokkaido University. Giant Octopuses May Have Ruled the Oceans 100 Million Years Ago. Phys.org. Posted on phys.org April 23, 2026, accessed April 24, 2026.
  3. Kraken Was Real and Devoured Dinosaurs? School-Bus-Sized Giant Octopus Ruled Ancient Seas, New Fossil Discovery Confirms. Times of India. Posted on timesofindia.indiatimes.com April 24, 2026, accessed April 24, 2026.
  4. See Genesis 7.
  5. Collins, M. A., M. O’Dea, and C. Henriques. 2001. A Large Cirroteuthis magna (Cephalopoda: Cirroctopoda) Caught on the Cape Verde Terrace (North Atlantic). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 81 (2): 357–358.
  6. Hebert, J. 2024. Oysters and Pre-Flood Longevity. Acts & Facts. 53 (3): 19.
  7. Hebert, J. 2026. Fossil and Modern Lifespan Comparisons of Extant Bivalve Genera. Journal of Creation. 40 (1): 74–84.
  8. Hebert, J. Prolonged 40-Year Growth in T. Rex: Evidence for Pre-Flood Longevity? Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org January 20, 2026, accessed March 26, 2026.
  9. Hebert, J. 2025. Croc Fossils Hint at Extreme Longevity. Acts & Facts. 54 (2): 18.
  10. Hebert, J. 2024. Fossil Sharks Show Signs of Greater Past Longevity. Acts & Facts. 53 (5): 20.
  11. Hebert, L. III. 2023. Allometric and Metabolic Scaling: Arguments for Design . . . and Clues to Explaining Pre-Flood Longevity? Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism. 9 (1): 206–227.
  12. See Genesis 5.

* Dr. Hebert is a research scientist at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

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