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Paleontologists managed to identify the oldest megapredator
Miscellaneous / / October 25, 2023
It turned out to be a distant relative of the modern turtle.
Paleontologists from Uppsala University (Sweden) have identified the fossilized remains of a mega-predator that lived during the Middle Jurassic period approximately 170 million years ago. The new species was named Lorrainosaurus keileni. Study the journal Scientific Reports published this.
Parts of the skeleton of this creature were discovered back in 1983 in northeastern France. As it now turns out, it was a pliosaur, a type of plesiosaur.
Unlike his relatives, he had a short neck and was much faster. But it also had a gigantic torpedo-shaped body and four flipper-like limbs.
They were the equivalent of today's killer whales and fed on a variety of prey, including cephalopods, large fish and other marine reptiles. We found food remains in the intestinal contents.
Benjamin Kear
Paleontologist from the Museum of Evolution at Uppsala University (Sweden)
These marine reptiles were not dinosaurs, but distant relatives of modern turtles. Scientists also found that they measured more than 6 meters from snout to tail and had a long, toothy jaw - more than 1.3 meters. They lived in the prehistoric seas that covered modern Europe.
Lorrainosaurus keileni was one of the first truly huge pliosaurs. It gave rise to a dynasty of marine reptile mega-predators that ruled the oceans for about 80 million years.
Sven Sachs
paleontologist from the Nature Museum in Bielefeld (Germany)
More about ancient creaturesš§
- āAncient animals were not at all different in their developed intelligenceā: 5 facts about dinosaurs from paleontologist Dmitry Sobolev
- An egg containing a perfectly preserved dinosaur embryo was found in China.
- 6 Myths About Dinosaurs You're Absolutely Wrong to Believe
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