“The Monster”: This Dino Could Bite A Car in Half!

Posted by Alex in Animal, Science & Tech on February 27, 2008 at 6:55 am


Scientists had uncovered a 150-million-year-old fossil "treasure trove" in an Arctic island chain of Svalbard.

Among the find is an immense sea creature 50 ft (15 m) long, a new species of pliosaur aptly nicknamed "The Monster":

"These animals were awesomely powerful predators," said plesiosaur palaeontologist Richard Forrest.

"If you compare the skull of a large pliosaur to a crocodile, it is very clear it is much better built for biting… by comparison with a crocodile, you have something like three or four times the cross-sectional space for muscles. So you have much bigger, more powerful muscles and huge, robust jaws.

"A large pliosaur was big enough to pick up a small car in its jaws and bite it in half."

Link (Photo: Tor Sponga, BT) - Thanks Justin!

Previously on Neatorama: Strangest Dinosaur Names


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COMMENT

7 comments to "“The Monster”: This Dino Could Bite A Car in Half!"

  1. Jamie
    February 27th, 2008 at 7:47 am

    What? No Armoured Bears?

  2. tikiloungelizard
    February 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am

    STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN

  3. Justin
    February 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Oh look it’s a dolphin…. oh wait AAAAAGH!

  4. Frodo
    February 27th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    So much for the gigant seed bank at Svalbard. Snack time.

  5. munky
    February 27th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    “A large pliosaur was big enough to pick up a small car in its jaws and bite it in half.”

    Assuming the other fishy dinosaurs had cars.

    That could swim.

  6. SenorMysterioso
    February 27th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

    its a magical leopluridon

  7. Ali S.
    February 27th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    Weird…just this week ads for some show on Imax 3D is on TV about the Dinosaurs who lived in the Oceans! :o


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