Read in LevelsRead in Levels
a close up of an octopus under water

Photo by Oleksandr Sushko on Unsplash

Giant Octopuses From Long Ago

natureApril 29, 2026·85 words·1 min read

This is a A1 (beginner) English article about giant octopuses from long ago. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 4 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

Key VocabularyExercisesDictation PracticeMemorize Practice

Read & Listen

0:00 / 0:46
Giant Octopuses From Long Ago
Scientists found very old octopus fossils. The fossils are 100 million years old. So these octopuses lived with dinosaurs. They were very big. Some were 20 metres long.
Before this, people thought old octopuses were small. Octopuses have soft bodies. Their bodies do not last. Only the hard jaws last. A team in Japan found these jaws.
The jaws had a lot of damage. They were broken and scratched. So the octopuses ate in a strong way. They were big top hunters in the sea.

Key Vocabulary

n.
old animal bones in stone
n.
very old big animals, all dead now
n.
the bones in the mouth
adj.
not hard
n.
an animal that catches other animals
Vocabulary Translations· 5 words · 12 languages

Every definition is context-aware — translated based on how the word is used in this article, not a dictionary.

fossiln.

old animal bones in stone

hóa thạchfóssil化石fosilfósilskamielinaأحفورةfossielокаменелость化石화석
dinosaurn.

very old big animals, all dead now

khủng longdinossauros恐竜dinozorlardinosauriosdinozauryديناصوراتdinosaurussenдинозавры恐龙공룡
jawn.

the bones in the mouth

hàmmandíbula顎çenemandíbulaszczękaفكkaakчелюсть颚턱
softadj.

not hard

mềmmoles柔らかいyumuşakblandosmiękkieلينةzachtмягкие柔软的부드러운
huntern.

an animal that catches other animals

kẻ săn mồicaçadores捕食者avcılarcazadoresdrapieżnikiمفترسونjagersохотники猎食者사냥꾼

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: True or False

1

Old octopuses had hard bodies.

2

The octopus fossils are 100 million years old.

3

The old octopuses were small.

4

The jaws were broken and scratched.

Question 2: Multiple Choice

How long were some of the old octopuses?

Question 3: Multiple Choice

Why don't octopus bodies become fossils?

Question 4: Matching

Tap a word, then tap its meaning.

Dictation Practice

Sentence 1 / 140/6 words

Memorize Practice

Sentence 1 / 14

Read at Other Levels

A1Beginner85w(current)
A2Elementary137wB1Intermediate207wB2Upper-Intermediate277wC1Advanced345w