'Cretaceous Kraken' prowled the seas during the age of dinosaurs

"These giant octopuses likely occupied the same ecological tier and may have competed with marine reptiles and sharks within the ⁠same ecosystem," Iba said. "Their existence changes how we view ancient oceans. Instead of ecosystems dominated solely by vertebrate predators, we now see that giant invertebrates such as octopuses also occupied the very top of the food web."