2023-12-10 21:02:53
Twelve meters long, four large fins and a skull with 130 teeth that measures more than most humans. These are the characteristics of the pliosaurus, the largest predator that occupied Earth’s oceans during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Now, this species considered the Tyrannosaurus rex of the sea, will be able to be studied in more depth thanks to the discovery that has recently been made in the United Kingdom: a skull of two meters with each and every one of the bones that formed it more than 150 million years ago.
The discovery was announced by the British BBC channel by publishing the image of the skull that was found on the Jurassic coast of Dorset, in the south of England. The author of the find has been the British paleontologist, Steve Etches, who has assured that “there is no specimen in the world that can match it”, as it is the only one that would be complete. In statements to the BBC, the scientist explained that the specimen found has the lower jaw and the upper skull intertwined, in the same way they were when the animal was alive, a very unusual fact, since in “all the Almost no samples with this level of detail have been found in the world.”
He pliosaurus, also known as “Predator X”, was a dinosaur that inhabited the European seas but also the waters of Australia, Asia and North America. With a jaw that had a force of 33,000 newtons – twice that of a large crocodile – it fed on other dinosaurs such as plesiosaurs, large dolphins and giant squids thanks also to the triangular shape of more than a hundred teeth that allowed him to pierce the flesh and dislodge the fangs quickly to be able to make several consecutive attacks.
Found by chance
The discovery of the skull of this immense marine predator was the result of chance. While walking on a beach in Kimmeridge Bay, a friend of Etches found the dinosaur’s nose in the rocks. Since it was more than half a meter long and weighed a lot, the man alerted the paleontologist to help him transport it without damaging it. Once they put the fossil in a safe place, Etches began a drone search to find the rest of the skull until they came to the conclusion that it was most likely to be found in an area under a large cliff in the which could only be accessed by abseiling with climbing equipment. After months of work hanging from a rope at a height of fifteen meters, Etches’ team managed to extract the fossil in a great state of preservation.
The skull of the animal discovered by the British palaeontologist will be officially presented on New Year’s Day in a special program on BBC One presented by scientist David Attenborough, known for producing great nature documentaries such as the series Life.
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