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D. maximum belongs to Ammonoidea, a subclass of the class of extinct tentacular cephalopods.
But the creature’s unusual shell makes it difficult to reveal the secrets of its biology.
Linda Ivany and Emily Artruc of Syracuse University in New York have uncovered clues thanks to chemical signatures hidden in samples taken from the 50-centimeter-long part of D. maximum’s crust. As a result, the lifespan of these ancient staple-like creatures could be 200 years.
According to the New Scientist report, the duo said in their presentation at an online meeting of the Geological Society of America that they examined the carbon and oxygen isotopes in the shell in question and found a repetitive pattern in their isotope signature.
Suspecting this to indicate annual methane release to the seafloor, experts noted that the annual pattern matches the vertical protrusions in the shell. In other words, a new bulge was added to D. Maximum’s shell every year it survived.
Professor Ivany said that each year these shells accumulate and grow, considering the shell is five feet long and used the following statements:
The only scenario that works is if this creature is 200 years old.
On the other hand, 200 years may seem insignificant, considering some modern crustaceans can live more than twice as long as D. Max.
But D. maximum cephalopods and all modern cephalopods die young. Octopuses and squid, for example, don’t live more than 5 years. Notilus, a crustacean cephalopod, survives to the age of 20.
It still remains a mystery why D. Massimo’s lifespan could be so long.
However, Professor Ivany thinks this may be related to the creature’s environment. Because D. Maximum lived in Antarctica, where it was difficult to find food during the long, dark winters.
The animal is estimated to have developed a slow metabolism to deal with this condition and have a long life as a side effect.
Another alternative is that they may have maximized their reproductive chances by only living in such a harsh environment for a long time.
Regardless of the reason, Professor Ivany said these new evidence of the creature’s longevity will lead to a deeper understanding of the paper clip-like D. Maxim, he said:
If you know something about an organism’s lifespan, you will learn a lot about its ecology.
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