Syllipsimopodi Bideni

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.

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.

• It has been named after the US president, Joe Biden.

About Syllipsimopodi bideni

• It is about 4-3/4 inches (12 cm) long, it had a torpedo-shaped body and a 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 helps in understanding how octopuses evolved.
• The preserved fossil reveals two parallel rows of suckers up and down each arm, dating 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.