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Giant Octopuses Lived With Dinosaurs

natureApril 29, 2026·137 words·1 min read

This is a A2 (elementary) English article about giant octopuses lived with dinosaurs. Read the article below, then check the key words and test your understanding with 5 exercises. You can also listen to the audio and tap any word to see its meaning.

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Giant Octopuses Lived With Dinosaurs
Scientists found fossils of huge octopuses. These animals lived 100 million years ago. They lived at the same time as dinosaurs. A team in Japan studied old jaw bones. The bones came from Japan and Vancouver Island. Some of these octopuses were almost 20 metres long.
Before this, scientists thought old octopuses with fins lived only 15 million years ago. Octopuses have soft bodies. So their bodies do not become fossils. Only the hard jaw bones last. The team used a special tool to find the small jaws. They also used a computer.
The jaws had a lot of damage. Up to 10% of each jaw tip was broken or scratched. This is more damage than we see today. So these old octopuses ate in a very strong way. They probably attacked their food with great force.

Key Vocabulary

n.
old animal bones in stone
n.
very old big animals, all dead now
n.
the bones in the mouth
n.
thin parts that help fish swim
adj.
not hard
n.
harm; broken parts
Vocabulary Translations· 6 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 thạchfósseis化石fosillerfósilesskamielinyأحافيرfossielenокаменелости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

hàmmandíbulaçenemandíbulaszczękaفكkaakчелюсть
finn.

thin parts that help fish swim

vâybarbatanasひれyüzgeçleraletaspłetwyزعانفvinnenплавники지느러미
softadj.

not hard

mềmmoles柔らかいyumuşakblandosmiękkieلينةzachtмягкие柔软的부드러운
damagen.

harm; broken parts

hư hạidanos損傷hasardañouszkodzeniaضررschadeповреждения损伤손상

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: True or False

1

The huge octopuses lived 100 million years ago.

2

Octopuses have hard bodies.

3

The team used a computer to study the jaws.

4

The fossil jaws had no damage.

Question 2: Multiple Choice

What part of the octopus was found as a fossil?

Question 3: Multiple Choice

How big were some of the old octopuses?

Question 4: Matching

Tap a word, then tap its meaning.

Question 5: Fill in the Blank

These old octopuses ______ their food with great force.

Dictation Practice

Sentence 1 / 170/6 words

Memorize Practice

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