The two-meter skull of a newly discovered species of giant ichthyosaur, the earliest known, is shedding new light on the marine reptiles’ rapid growth into behemoths of the Dinosaurian oceans.
The prehistoric dinosaur, named Cymbospondylus youngorum, was found with its long snout and pointed teeth in Nevada’s Black Rock desert.
The beast that lived 246 million years ago and weighed 40 tons measured 60 ft from nose to tail.
The elongated snout and conical teeth suggest that C. youngorum preyed on squid and fish, but its size meant that it could have hunted smaller and juvenile marine reptiles as well.
Dwarfing anything alive today, Professor Martin Sander who wrote about the monster in the journal Science said: “Although whales are now the largest of Earth’s creatures, they were not the first ocean giants to ply the seas.
“It took whales about 90 percent of their 55 million-year history to evolve into the ocean giants we know today.”
The findings also identify that prehistoric marine ecosystems could support giant monsters like Cymbospondylus.
Source: NHM, The Sun
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The prehistoric dinosaur, named Cymbospondylus youngorum, was found with its long snout and pointed teeth in Nevada’s Black Rock desert.
The beast that lived 246 million years ago and weighed 40 tons measured 60 ft from nose to tail.
The elongated snout and conical teeth suggest that C. youngorum preyed on squid and fish, but its size meant that it could have hunted smaller and juvenile marine reptiles as well.
Dwarfing anything alive today, Professor Martin Sander who wrote about the monster in the journal Science said: “Although whales are now the largest of Earth’s creatures, they were not the first ocean giants to ply the seas.
“It took whales about 90 percent of their 55 million-year history to evolve into the ocean giants we know today.”
The findings also identify that prehistoric marine ecosystems could support giant monsters like Cymbospondylus.
Read Full Documentary on NHM: https://bit.ly/3JorI4g
Music: Bonfire - An JoneSource: NHM, The Sun
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