Giant Cretaceous Octopus Cognition

New fossil analysis suggests some Cretaceous cephalopods reached enormous size (~60 ft) and had beak wear patterns consistent with powerful shell‑crushing bites and lateralized (one‑sided) feeding. The asymmetry in wear is interpreted as evidence of neural lateralization — a sign of advanced motor control and potentially higher cognition — appearing far earlier and in a very different lineage than previously recognized. — If correct, this reframes when and how complex cognition and lateralization evolved, broadening debates about animal intelligence, convergent evolution, and how humans imagine non‑vertebrate minds.