Mosasaurus, also known as the Maas Lizard, was a gigantic crocodile-like marine reptile thought to have lived millions of years ago. Its name and structure may sound familiar, because a Mosasaurus-like creature was also featured in the movie Jurassic World.
Researchers thought these creatures were the largest marine reptile ever discovered. However, a study has unearthed the remains of a marine reptile much larger than Mosasaurus.
Remains of the largest marine reptile found in the Swiss Alps
In the group of creatures classified as marine reptiles, the largest creature that lived in the past was thought to be the Mosasaurus species. Martin Sander and Pablo Romero Perez de Villar from the University of Bonn managed to refute this thesis with their research. The results of a meticulous study in the Swiss Alps have unearthed the fossils of the largest marine reptile ever discovered.
The researchers were astonished when they analyzed the teeth, rib fragments and possible spines they found. According to the results of the research published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, these gigantic teeth and spine fragments belonged to an ichthyosaur (Ichthyosaur) 21 meters long. This shows that the marine reptile was almost the same size as Megaladon, which is considered one of the largest sea creatures. Of course, the Blue Whale is still the largest sea creature, with a length of 33 meters and a weight of more than 150 tons.
Another thing that surprised the researchers was that until now there was no evidence that ichthyosaurs could have been that large. The team says the ichthyosaurs may have shrunk in size over time. It is estimated that ichthyosaurs lived about 57 million years ago, making their fossils extremely difficult to find. Another interesting subject of the research is that two toothed and toothless species of ichthyosaurs, which are thought to have gigantic teeth, may have lived at the same time. It is expected that the new information obtained will shed light on the studies to be carried out in the coming days.
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