Squid Ancestry Rewrites Marine History

New Fossil Discoveries Challenge Evolutionary Timelines

Fossil analysis has unveiled a surprising reality: squids, those agile ocean hunters, were thriving long before the dinosaurs’ demise. This research reframes our understanding of marine life’s evolution, pinpointing squids as early innovators in the modern ocean’s ecosystem.

Ancient Squid Revealed

Paleontologists employed a cutting-edge “digital fossil-mining” approach to analyze over 250 fossilized squid beaks. This method used detailed 3D models created from stacked cross-sectional images of rock. The investigation by **Shin Ikegami** and colleagues determined that squids actually originated roughly 100 million years ago, much earlier than previously supposed.

“In both number and size, these ancient squids clearly prevailed the seas,”

—**Dr. Ikegami**, Paleontologist

These findings indicate that these ancient cephalopods were abundant and even bigger than the ammonites and fish that existed at the time. For example, the global squid and cuttlefish fishery catch for 2022 totaled 3.7 million metric tons (Food and Agriculture Organization).

Deeper Dive into Squid Evolution

Squids are currently the most diverse group of marine cephalopods. Their success has long been linked to the loss of the rigid outer shell, seen in their ancestors. However, the limited fossil record has obscured the origins of these soft-bodied creatures. The study significantly extended the earliest records of two major squid groups: the Oegopsida by roughly 15 million years and the Myopsida by around 55 million years.

The researchers suggest squids were the first intelligent, swift swimmers, shaping today’s ocean ecosystems.

“These findings change everything we thought we knew about marine ecosystems in the past,” noted **Dr. Yasuhiro Iba** from Hokkaido University.

These insights will redefine how we perceive the history of marine life.