Article/Observer.com Zhou Yibo

On March 8, local time, a paper published in the international academic journal Nature Communications showed that American paleontologists discovered the oldest fossil of a ghost octopus (also known as the "vampire squid") to date, and named it Syllipsimopodi bideni, which is the same name as U.S. President Joe Biden (Biden). Syllipsimopodi bideni", which is very similar to the name of US President Joe Biden.

According to the New York Times, the naming was intended by the paleontologists to commemorate Biden's inauguration as president, but also because they were "inspired by his [Biden's] plans to combat climate change and fund scientific research".

The report notes that Biden is not the first U.S. president to be so "honored," as a worm-like salamander and a moth with a crown of yellow scales have been named after President Trump, and several species of fish and a moss have been named after President Obama.

Fossilized phantom octopus named Syllipsimopodi bideni

The New York Times reported that the fossilized phantom octopus was donated to Canada's Royal Ontario Museum in 1988, but sat unnoticed in a drawer.

Now, decades later, paleontologist Christopher Whalen from the American Museum of Natural History stumbled upon something special about the fossil under a microscope - the cool octopus-like creature with 10 arms was intact and dated to be about 328 million years old.

"It's very rare." Whalen said.

Thomas Clements, a paleontologist at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, also said, "The probability of one of these tiny things becoming fossilized is astronomical."

Out of curiosity, Whalen and colleagues scrutinized the fossil, eventually discovering that it was the ancestor of the oldest known ghost octopus (the vampire squid) and octopus, pushing the earliest evidence of the existence of both species forward by 82 million years.

Local time on March 8, the international academic journal "Nature Communications" published the Huilun and the Royal Ontario Museum of Canada Honorary Curator Neil Landman *** co-signed academic paper, the first in the field of academia publicly introduced the oldest ghost octopus to date, and called it "Syllipsimopodi bideni ".

The paper reports that the specimen was well-preserved, about 12 centimeters long, with 10 arms with suckers, fins, and a long, horny inner shell (gladius, a hard, triangular inner structure). These features led the authors to hypothesize that the creature may have been torpedo-shaped, similar to present-day squids.

Screenshot from the website of the international journal Nature Communications

According to the New York Times, the naming of the new species also has "special significance".

In an email, Whalen said they named the new species after US President Joe Biden in honor of his inauguration, and because they were "inspired by his [Biden's] plans to combat climate change and fund scientific research.

The report noted that Biden is not the first U.S. president to be so "honored," as a worm-like salamander and a moth with a crown of yellow scales were named after President Trump, and several species of fish and a moss were named after President Obama.

Meanwhile, The New York Times attempted to reach out to the White House for comment on the matter, but has not received a response as of yet.

An artist's image of "Syllipsimopodi bideni" Photo: The New York Times

This article is an Observer exclusive and is not to be reproduced without authorization.

This article is an Observer exclusive and may not be reproduced without authorization.