Posted on 03/06/2024 10:15:39 PM PST by nickcarraway
Extinct marine lizard the size of an orca with sharp teeth and a strong jaw was a top predator during the dinosaur age.
Paleontologists in Morocco have discovered the fossilized remains of a huge, never-before-seen species of marine lizard with "dagger-like" teeth.
The reptile was around 26 feet (8 meters) long — about the same length as an orca — and hunted in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of what is now Africa at the end of the dinosaur age, about 66 million years ago, according to a study published March 1 in the journal Cretaceous Research.
The creature is named Khinjaria acuta, which is derived from khinjar, the Arabic word for "dagger," and acuta, which means "sharp" in Latin. Its formidable jaws would've enabled it to feast on very large prey, including sharks and other marine reptiles.
The "nightmarish" reptile was a member of the Mosasauridae family, also known as mosasaurs — an extinct group of marine lizards whose relatives today include Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) and anacondas, according to a statement from the University of Bath in England.
Its fearsome teeth and jaws can be seen in the skull and partial skeleton that were found buried inside a phosphate mine near Morocco's port city of Casablanca.
Image of a the fossilised skull of the Khinjaria acuta
From analysis of the fossilized jaw and skull, the extinct mosasaur had " a terrible biting force." (Image credit: University of Bath) Analysis of the skull and jaw suggests the creature had "a terrible biting force," study co-author Nour-Eddine Jalil, a professor and collection manager at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, said in the statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
This tells you how bad the economy is - even sea monsters need a side hustle mining.
The sea monster came to Morocco for the waters, but he was misinformed. So he died.
We'll always have Paris.
Regards,
I've seen worse!
Regards,
The sea monster wore gray, the megalodon wore grey.
I only saw the first Lord of the Rings movie.
Scientific name: Hillaryus Horribilus.
Not as formidable as the Monty Python rabbit
p
Yeah, we’re gonna need a bigger boat….
Its fearsome teeth and jaws can be seen in the skull and partial skeleton that were found buried inside a phosphate mine near Morocco’s port city of Casablanca.
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“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine…”
Thanks SteveH.
Fossils? Ina Phosphate Mine? I’m SHOCKED................
The Germans wore grey. You wore blue.
L
It was workin’ in a phosphate mine, going down down...
Fascinating. I love this monster—from a safe distance of course.
This is the only post I’m responding to today. I am fed up to my ears with politics. Biden is a known crook and idiot, Trump should be reelected. That’s all that matters.
He met a female Khinjaria acuta, and said “I’m stone in love with you”............
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYzO6PuROVY
:^D
ICWYDT
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