Scientists marvel at the fossilised head of an underwater 'killing machine' from the Jurassic.

The skull of a colossal sea monster has been extracted from the cliffs of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

It belongs to a pliosaur, a ferocious marine reptile that terrorised the oceans about 150 million years ago.

The 2m-long fossil is one of the most complete specimens of its type ever discovered and is giving new insights into this ancient predator.

The skull will be featured in a special David Attenborough programme on BBC One on New Year’s Day.

  • tygerprints@kbin.social
    3·
    1 year ago

    We’re finding more and more bizarre sea creatures in the ocean depths all the time. The thing is, the ocean’s environment (until recently) hasn’t changed that much over millions of years. So a prehistoric creature COULD theoretically still exist without having to evolve much at all down there.

    Look at the Coelecanth…scientists really believed it was extinct for millions of years, and then a live specimen was caught by African Shark hunters not too long ago. And that thing really LOOKS primitive. I saw the specimin in a preservation tank at a museum in San Francisco, and it was jaw-dropping. I’ve never seen a creature that primitive, with hairy fins and scales the size of dinner plates. It was truly awesome and kind of scary.

    So it’s healthy to be skeptical but also I think it’s important to be a little unsure and open minded.