Pliosaur: The most bloodthirsty predator of the sea that ‘could gobble up any animal that passed by’
The skull of a strange marine animal has been discovered in the Jurassic Coast of Dorset County, UK.
This skull belongs to a pliosaur, a bloodthirsty reptile that terrorized the seas about 150 million years ago.
Its two-meter-long fossil is the most complete of its kind, providing new information about this ancient predator.
As the veil is being lifted from this skull for the first time, our breathing is quickening. It is immediately clear that the large pliosaur skull was beautifully preserved.
Local paleontologist Steve Hitch says there is no other specimen that compares.
“This is one of the most impressive fossils I’ve ever worked on. Its completeness is what makes it so rare.
Both the lower jaw and the upper skull are fused together, as they would be in life. It is very difficult to find a pattern that has this much detail. Even if it is found, many things are missing in the middle. Although it has some flaws, all the bones are in place.
The skull is often longer than that of humans, which gives you an idea of how large this creature would be. You can’t ignore its 130 teeth, especially the front teeth.
These long and sharp teeth kill someone in one blow. If you dare, take a closer look. Each tooth has a ridge on the back so that the beast can chew meat. Like a knife, the front teeth will be instantly ready for another stab.
A 10 to 12 meter long pliosaur would have been a ‘killing machine’. Like the ‘flipper’ of fish, it had four legs for swimming which gave it speed. It will undoubtedly be the best predator of the sea.
Dr Andre Rowe of the University of Bristol said: ‘This animal would have been so large that it could have mauled any unlucky animal that passed by.’
“I have no doubt that it will be an underwater T-Rex.”
Its diet may have included other reptiles, such as its long-necked cousins the plesiosaurs and the dolphin-like ichthyosaurs. Fossil evidence suggests that it may have preyed on other pliosaurs that passed by.
The manner in which this fossil skull was discovered is also unusual.
It started with a walk on a beach on the Jurassic Coast, a well-known cultural destination in southern England.
Steele Eichs was with his partner, Phil Jacobs, when they caught a glimpse of him in a pile of pebbles. The skull was so heavy that they had to make a makeshift stretcher to remove it and move it to a safe place.
But where is the rest of the animal? A drone survey of the mountain and coastline identified a possible location, but the problem was that it could only be brought down with the help of climbers.
Extracting a fossil from a rock is always difficult, but this time it had to be done by hanging from ropes 15 meters above the shore, meaning people with all these skills were needed.
For several months the work of cleaning the skull continued with great courage. After its success, it seems that the hard work was not in vain. Scientists from all over the world are coming to see this fossil to examine how these reptiles dominated the environment.
Paleobiologist Professor Emily Reifeld said she had examined large round pits on the back of the head. This suggests the muscles that operated the jaws of this pliosaur. It also shows how much life it had in its mouth to bite the prey.
Tests showed that this force was 33 thousand newtons. It will be enough for you to understand that crocodiles found in salt water have a bite capacity of 16 thousand newtons.
“If you can bite powerfully, you render your prey helpless because they can’t get out and go anywhere,” said the Bristol researcher. This allows you to reach the tissue and bones of the victim.
But mosquitoes bite their prey and twist it to break its legs. This is the ability of animals whose heads are larger than the back. We get to see this in Pliyo Sar as well.
The remains discovered show that this animal had highly effective senses. They have small pits and dots on their noses to sense the water pressure when prey is approaching. It has a hole on its head with a third eye.
Lizards, frogs and some fish have a third eye. It has the ability to absorb light and helps it find other animals. Pliosaurs would have benefited the most if they swam in muddy water.
Steve Eichs will soon place the skull in the Kemmer Ridge Museum next year.
Some of the bones in his head are protruding. There is some evidence that there may be more fossils on this mountain. Steve wants to finish what he started. “I’m willing to play the game of my life because the rest of the beast is there.”
“It should come out because the environment is rapidly deteriorating.” This part of the mountain is receding every year. It won’t be long before the pliosaur collapses and disappears. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.