95 Million year old Octopod Fossil

Mena

Great find in Lebanon. Amazing to actually find one so detailed. It's said there is very little variation to the species found today.

Original Article

Examiner.com

... the new study published in a recent copy of Palaeontology is a truly terrific find. Not only did a group of European scientists find a fossilized octopus, they found five complete fossils that show all eight legs in great detail, including a ghost of the characteristic suckers. The discovery of the 95-million-year-old specimens was made in Lebanon, where the "extraordinary soft-part preservation in the Lebanon limestones" managed to save the entire impression of the ancient octopods. They consist of three new species, and there was even traces of of the octopods' ink found as well.

What is truly astonishing to the scientists is how similar these ancient creatures are to their modern-day counterparts. Dirk Fuchs, lead author on the study stated, "These things are 95 million years old, yet one of the fossils is almost indistinguishable from living species." The fossils provide an extraordinary glimpse into the evolutionary history of the creatures, pushing back the birth of the modern octopus millions of years.

The fact that these fossils exist is a small miracle of science and a big victory for paleontologists and evolutionist alike.

Wibbs

This throws a few theories to the wind as it looks as much like a modern octopus and has less primitive features than expected.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090319-octopus-fossil-picture.html