A 150-million-year-old sea monster is a '1 in 1 billion' discovery.

Jurassic pliosaur, 2 meters long, is a marine monster of the species that formed The first huge predators in the ocean In history, it will be displayed in a museum in Dorset, England. The fossils of this animal are 155 million years old, and consist of its skull studded with impressive sharp teeth. The rest of the body is still trapped in the cliffs on the country's coast, which increases the curiosity of its remains.

Snout from Marine reptiles It was found by chance on the beach at Kimmeridge Bay by a paleontology enthusiast, which led to the rest of the skull being studied and found halfway up the cliff, a coastal structure that was already eroding. The fossil was removed by a team suspended from ropes in danger of collapsing, creating cinematic scenes. The fossil was made into a documentary by BBCnamed Attenborough and the sea monsterSir David Attenborough also narrates the original version.

Pliosaur Gallery

The skull that will be displayed is one of the best preserved specimens ever found, allowing scientists to make very interesting discoveries. It is estimated that its mouth, filled with 350 razor-sharp teeth, made use of muscles clustered in cavernous holes on either side of the skull to generate a powerful bite.

Calculations show that the bite force of this species would be in the same category as A Tyrannosaurus rexWhich gave rise to the nickname “The Sailor Rex”. While the T-Rex The British pliosaur would have 45,000 Newtons of force in its jaws, and the British pliosaur would have 33,000 Newtons, twice the force of a modern-day saltwater crocodile, at 16,000 Newtons.

The species found in Dorset are new to science and must be named after further research. It could have reached between 10 and 12 meters in length, and like other pliosaurs, it swam in the seas with four paddle-like flippers. This animal, which killed with a single bite, is thought to have swallowed its prey in one go, and had no problem feeding on other species, as tooth marks on other pliosaurs show.

The exhibit shows the skull in a frightening manner, with protruding teeth that mimic the look of a sea monster. According to officials, the idea is to impress, especially the visiting children. It is possible to see some distinctive features of the specimen, such as the higher skull crest. The scientists' idea is to return to the Kimmeridge Cliffs to try to recover the rest of the creature's body, before erosion returns it to the sea.

source: BBC

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