Predator X
Predator X is an informal name for a prehistoric marine predator, thought by scientists to be a new species in the pliosaur family.[1] The skull of the predator was excavated in mid-2008 in Svalbard, near the Arctic, by a Norwegian team led by Dr. Jørn Hurum.[1] It is claimed by researchers to be the "most fearsome animal ever to swim in the oceans."[2]
The remains were discovered in June 2006 during a two-week expedition led by Dr. Hurum of the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo. The team found 20,000 fragments of the creature's skeleton, which is being assembled at the museum. Due to distribution pattern of pliosaurs, scientist believe that species were cosmopolitan, like some groups of modern-day whales.[3]
Species characteristics
The creature was 15 metres (49 ft) long, 45,000 kilograms (99,000 lb) in weight and had teeth 30 centimetres (12 in) long.[4][5]
The jaws of the creature may have been able to exert more force than those of a Tyrannosaurus rex,[1] with one news source stating the bite was over 10 times more powerful than any modern animal and four times more powerful than that of a Tyrannosaurus.[6] It is estimated to have been alive approximately 147 million years ago.[7]
Analysis of bones from the four flippers suggest that the animal cruised using just two fore-flippers, using the back pair for extra speed when pursuing and capturing prey.
Predator X's brain was of a similar type and size, proportionally, to that of today's great white shark, the team says.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Arctic sea monster's giant bite". BBC. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
- ^ Smith, Lewis (2009-03-17). "Predator X was the most fearsome animal ever to swim the oceans". London: The Times. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Predator X: monster of the deep". Cosmos Magazine. 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Alleyne, Richard (2009-03-17). "Biggest and smallest prehistoric predators unearthed". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Coghlan, Andy (2009-03-17). "Fossil of 'ultimate predator' unearthed in Arctic". New Scientist. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Gigantic fossils of 'Predator X' found in the Arctic". Russia Today. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Fossil 'makes T-Rex look feeble'", news24.com, 17 March 2009.