Syllipsimopodi Bideni: This is the name paleontologists gave the newly discovered creature. Bidney is referring to Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States. Scientists claim that they want to thank the president in this way for his commitment to scientific research. However, the move to name an ancient fossil after a man who was often judged of his blessed age is remarkable to say the least.
Octopus and squid
syllipsimopodi Bideni was found in rocks from the US state of Montana, in the western United States, and it ended up in the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada in 1988. For years, the fossil did not receive much attention. Until suddenly they discovered the ten small limbs with two rows of suction cups on the 12 cm diameter fossil.
It turned out to be one of the ancestors of the octopus and squid, which lived more than 328 million years ago. The animal probably lived in a shallow tropical ocean bay. Paleontologists claim that they themselves have found evidence of an ink sac, with which octopuses can spray ink on enemies just like their modern counterparts.
Older than dinosaur
The oldest known ancestor so far was 240 million years old, according to the study author. So Albidini lived more than 80 million years ago. Moreover, the ancient octopus lived a hundred million years before the dinosaurs that first appeared 230 million years ago.
The paleontologists published their findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
