Predatory marine dinosaurs. Types of dinosaurs, animals that do not exist

In 1845, during excavations conducted in England, paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a country of cartilaginous fish that looked like a shark. As a result of the analyzes carried out, it was found that their age is approximately 270 million years. In all likelihood, these representatives of the hybodontoid lived in the seas and oceans that once covered the territories of Asia, Europe and North America.

Who was the ancestor of modern sharks? It is likely that it was precisely the helicoprion, the fossil remains of which scientists find in the deposits of the Permian-Triassic period. These representatives of ancient cartilaginous fish, related to shark-like or chimera-like, lived in the seas and oceans of our planet about 290 million years ago. Scientists identify them by their dental spirals.

The end of the Devonian period is characterized by extinction large class marine animals, including armored fish called placoderms. They were the simplest among all representatives of the jawed-stomes, although this did not prevent them from actively developing during the Devonian period. In a short time, they could master the vast territories of the oceans.

Were ancient cetaceans able to land on land? This question worries scientists to this day. In all likelihood, they were able to solve this problem. This is evidenced by the numerous finds of paleontologists found in various places planets. An example is the remains of ancient cetaceans called ambulocetes, which were found in Pakistan in 1964, in the […]

In 1932, fossils were discovered in Greenland strange creature. Upon further study, it was found that they belong to the oldest representative of the extinct jawed jaws that lived in the Devonian period (about 355 million years ago). Scientists have named this ancient creature Ichthyostega. Its length was about one and a half meters.

1770. Maastricht, the Netherlands. In St. Peter's Cave, five hundred paces from the entrance. At a depth of 27 meters, quarries discovered the skull of a previously unknown large animal. The workers stopped work and told Dr. Hofmann about their find. The scientist has been collecting fossils from quarries for several years. Dr. Hoffman considered the find one of the most important of all that he […]

Simultaneously with the dinosaurs, the Earth was inhabited by other reptiles - flying lizards (pterosaurs), marine ichthyosaurs (fish lizards), plesiosaurs, pliosaurs; crocodile-like; beast-tooths, which resembled mammals and were apparently their ancestors. Dinosaurs were very different in size and appearance. Some were the size of a dove, the second weighed up to 50 tons. Some of them moved on four limbs, while others […]

Platipteregion is a large ichthyosaur, "a lizard with cutting teeth." Lived in the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago. These dinosaurs had a fish-like body shape. They had a live birth, which eliminated the need to go to land. These lizards fed on fish and shellfish, which is confirmed by fossilized remains from the gastric contents of the Australian species, the most studied.

Some of the largest creatures that have ever inhabited this world lived millions of years ago. Below are ten of the biggest, most feared sea monsters that once roamed the oceans:

10 Shastasaurus

Ichthyosaurs were marine predators that looked like modern dolphins and could grow to enormous sizes and lived during the Triassic period about 200 million years ago.

Shastasaurus, largest species The most marine reptile ever found was an ichthyosaur that could grow to over 20 meters. It was much longer than most other predators. But one of the largest creatures ever to swim in the sea wasn't exactly a fearsome predator; Shastasaurus fed by suction, and ate mainly fish.

9. Dacosaurus (Dakosaurus)


Dacosaurus was first discovered in Germany, and with its strangely reptilian yet fish-like body, it was one of the main predators in the sea during the Jurassic.

Its fossils have been found over a very wide area - they have been found everywhere, from England to Russia to Argentina. Although it is usually compared to modern crocodiles, Dacosaurus could reach 5 meters in length. Its unique teeth have led scientists to believe that it was the top predator during its terrible reign.

8. Thalassomedon (Thalassomedon)


Thalassomedon belonged to the Pliosaur group, and its name is translated from Greek as "Sea Lord" - and for good reason. Thalassomedons were huge predators, reaching up to 12 meters in length.

He had almost 2 meter flippers, which allowed him to swim in the depths with deadly efficiency. His reign as a predator continued until late Cretaceous until it finally came to an end when new larger predators such as Mosasaurus appeared in the sea.

7. Nothosaurus (Nothosaurus)


Nothosaurs, reaching a length of only 4 meters, were aggressive predators. They were armed with a mouthful of sharp, outwardly pointing teeth, indicating that their diet consisted of squid and fish. It is believed that Nothosaurs were primarily ambush predators. They used their sleek, reptilian physique to sneak up on their prey and surprise them when they attacked.

It is believed that Nothosaurs were related to Pliosaurs, another type of deep sea predator. Fossil evidence suggests that they lived during the Triassic period about 200 million years ago.

6. Tylosaurus (Tylosaurus)


Tylosaurus belonged to the Mosasaurus species. He was huge size, and reached more than 15 meters in length.

Tylosaurus was a meat eater with a very varied diet. Traces of fish, sharks, smaller mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and even some flightless birds. They lived at the end of the Cretaceous in the sea that covered what is now North America, where they densely nestled at the top of the marine food chain for several million years.

5. Talattoarchon (Thalattoarchon Saurophagis)


Only recently discovered, Talattoarchon was the size of a school bus, reaching almost 9 meters in length. It is an early species of ichthyosaur that lived during the Triassic period, 244 million years ago. Due to the fact that they appeared shortly after the Permian extinction (the largest mass extinction on Earth, when scientists believe 95% marine life and fauna was destroyed), its discovery gives scientists a new look at the rapid recovery of the ecosystem.

4. Tanystropheus


Although Tanystropheus was not strictly a marine inhabitant, his diet consisted mainly of fish, and scientists believe that he spent most of his time in the water. Tanystropheus was a reptile that could reach 6 meters in length and is believed to have lived during the Triassic period about 215 million years ago.

3. Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon)


Liopleurodon was a marine reptile and reached over 6 meters in length. It mainly lived in the seas that covered Europe during the Jurassic period and was one of the best predators of its time. Some of his jaws are believed to have reached more than 3 meters - this is approximately equal to the distance from floor to ceiling.

With such huge teeth, it is not difficult to understand why Liopleurodon dominated the food chain.

2. Mosasaurus (Mosasaurus)


If Liopleurodon was huge, then Mosasaurus was colossal.

Fossil evidence suggests that Mosasaurus could reach up to 15 meters in length, making it one of the largest marine predators of the Cretaceous period. The head of the Mosasaurus was similar to that of a crocodile, armed with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth that could kill even the most well-armored foes.

1. Megalodon (Megalodon)


One of the largest carnivores in maritime history and one of the largest sharks ever recorded, Megalodons were incredibly scary creatures.

Megalodons roamed the depths of the oceans during the Cenozoic era, 28 to 1.5 million years ago, and were a much larger version of the great white shark, the most fearsome and strong predator in the oceans today. But while the maximum length modern great white sharks can reach is 6 meters, Megalodons could grow up to 20 meters in length, which means they were bigger than a school bus!

Incredible Facts

The modern ocean is home to many incredible creatures, many of which we have no idea about. You never know what lies there - in the dark cold depths. However, none of them can be compared with the ancient monsters that dominated the world's oceans millions of years ago.

In this article, we will tell you about pangolins, carnivorous fish and predatory whales that terrorized marine life in prehistoric times.

prehistoric world

Megalodon

The Megalodon may be the most famous creature on this list, but it's hard to imagine that a school bus-sized shark actually existed. Nowadays, there are many different scientific films and programs about these amazing monsters.

Contrary to popular belief, megalodons did not live at the same time as dinosaurs. They dominated the seas from 25 to 1.5 million years ago, which means that they missed the last dinosaur by 40 million years. In addition, this means that the first people found these sea monsters alive.

The home of the megalodon was the warm ocean, which existed until the last ice age in the early Pleistocene, and it is believed that it was he who deprived these huge sharks of food and the opportunity to breed. Perhaps in this way nature has protected modern humanity from terrible predators.

Liopleurodon

If there was a water scene in the Jurassic Park movie that included several sea monsters of the time, the Liopleurodon would definitely appear in it. Despite the fact that scientists argue about the real length of this animal (some claim that it reached 15 meters), most of them agree that it was about 6 meters, with the pointed head of Liopleurodon occupying a fifth of the length.

Many people think that 6 meters is not so much, but the smallest representative of these monsters is able to swallow an adult. Scientists have recreated a model of Liopleurodon's fins and tested them.

In the course of their research, they found that these prehistoric animals were not so fast, but they were agile. They were also capable of making short, quick and sharp attacks similar to those of modern crocodiles, which makes them even more intimidating.

sea ​​monsters

Basilosaurus

Despite the name and appearance, they are not reptiles, as it might seem at first glance. In fact, these are real whales (and not the most intimidating in this squeak!). Basilosaurus were the predatory ancestors of modern whales and ranged from 15 to 25 meters in length. It is described as a whale, somewhat resembling a snake due to its length and ability to squirm.

It is hard to imagine that, while swimming in the ocean, one could stumble upon a huge creature that looked like a snake, a whale and a crocodile at the same time 20 meters long. The fear of the ocean would stick with you for a long time.

Physical evidence suggests that basilosaurs did not have the same cognitive abilities as modern whales. In addition, they did not have the ability to echolocate and could only move in two dimensions (which means that they could not actively dive and dive to great depths). Thus, this terrible predator was as stupid as a bag of prehistoric tools and would not be able to follow you if you dived or made landfall.

Racoscorpions

No wonder the words "sea scorpion" evoke only negative emotions, however, this representative of the list was the most creepy of them. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae is a special species of crustacean that was the largest and most intimidating arthropod of the time: 2.5 meters of pure clawed terror under the shell.

Many of us are terrified of small ants or large spiders, however, imagine the full range of fear experienced by a person who would not be lucky enough to meet this sea monster.

On the other hand, these creepy creatures became extinct even before the event that killed all dinosaurs and 90% of life on Earth. Only some types of crabs survived, which are not so scary. There is no evidence that the ancient sea scorpions were venomous, but based on the structure of their tail, it can be concluded that this may indeed have been the case.

See also: A huge sea monster washed up on the coast of Indonesia

prehistoric animals

Mauisaurus

Mauisaurus was named after ancient god Maori Maui, who, according to legend, pulled the skeleton of New Zealand from the bottom of the ocean with a hook, so that only by the name you can understand that this animal was huge. The neck of the Mauisaurus was about 15 meters long, which is quite a lot compared to its total length of 20 meters.

His incredible neck had many vertebrae, which gave it a special flexibility. Imagine a turtle without a shell with a surprisingly long neck - this is what this terrible creature looked like.

He lived during the Cretaceous period, which meant that the unfortunate creatures jumping into the water to escape the velociraptors and tyrannosaurs were forced to come face to face with these sea monsters. The habitats of the Mauisaurs were limited to the waters of New Zealand, which indicated that all the inhabitants were in danger.

Dunkleosteus

Dunkleosteus was a ten-meter predatory monster. Huge sharks lived much longer than dunkleostei, but this did not mean that they were the best predators. Instead of teeth, Dunkleosteus had bony growths, like some species of modern turtles. Scientists have calculated that their bite force was 1500 kilograms per square centimeter, which put them on par with crocodiles and tyrannosaurs and made them one of the creatures with the strongest bite.

Based on the facts about their jaw muscles, scientists concluded that the Dunkleosteus could open its mouth in one fiftieth of a second, absorbing everything in its path. As the fish matured, the single bony tooth plate was replaced by a segmented one, which made it easier to get food and bite through the thick shells of other fish. In the arms race called the prehistoric ocean, the Dunkleosteus was a real well-armoured, heavy tank.

Sea monsters and monsters of the deep

Kronosaurus

Kronosaurus is another short-necked lizard that looks like a Liopleurosaurus. Remarkably, its true length is also known only approximately. It is believed that it reached up to 10 meters, and its teeth reached up to 30 cm in length. That is why it was named after Kronos, the king of the ancient Greek titans.

Now guess where this monster lived. If your assumption was related to Australia, then you are absolutely right. The head of the Kronosaurus was about 3 meters long and it was able to swallow an entire adult human. In addition, after that, there was room inside the animal for another half.

Also, due to the fact that the flippers of kronosaurs were similar in structure to the flippers of a turtle, scientists concluded that they were very distantly related and assumed that kronosaurs also got out on land to lay their eggs. In any case, we can be sure that no one dared to ruin the nests of these sea monsters.

Helicoprion

This shark, 4.5 meters long, had a serrated lower jaw lined with teeth. She looked like a hybrid shark with a buzz saw, and everyone knows that when dangerous power tools become part of a predator that is at the top of the food chain, the whole world trembles.

The teeth of the helicoprion were serrated, which clearly indicates the carnivorous nature of this sea monster, but scientists still do not know for sure whether the jaw was pushed forward as in the photo, or slightly pushed deep into the mouth.

These creatures survived the Triassic mass extinction, which could indicate their high intelligence, but the reason could also be their living in the deep sea.

prehistoric sea monsters

Leviathan Melvilla

Earlier in this article we already talked about predatory whales. Melville's Leviathan is the most intimidating of them all. Imagine a huge orca-sperm whale hybrid. This monster was not just carnivorous - it killed and ate other whales. It had the largest teeth of any animal known to us.

Their length sometimes reached 37 centimeters! They lived in the same oceans at the same time and ate the same food as megalodons, thus competing with the largest predatory shark of the time.

Their huge head was equipped with the same sonar devices as modern whales, which made their hunting more successful in muddy water. If it was not clear to someone from the very beginning, this animal was named after Leviathan - a giant sea ​​monster from the Bible and Herman Melville, who wrote the famous "Moby Dick". If Moby Dick were one of the Leviathans, he would certainly eat the Pequod with his entire crew.

An unimaginable event occurred about 251 million years ago, which significantly influenced subsequent eras. The name given by scientists to this event sounds like the Permian-Tertiary extinction, or the Great Dying.

It became a formative boundary between the two geological periods- Permian and Triassic, or, in other words, between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic. It took a little time for most of the marine and terrestrial species.

These events contributed to the formation of a group of archosaurs on land (the most prominent representatives dinosaurs) and marine dinosaurs.

Marine reptiles inhabited the water areas of the Mesozoic along with land dinosaurs. They also disappeared at the same time - about 65.5 million years ago. The reason was the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

In this article, we want to introduce you to a selection of the 10 most striking and ferocious representatives of marine dinosaurs.

Shastasaurus is a genus of dinosaurs that existed more than 200 million years ago - the end of the Triassic period. According to scientists, their habitat was the territory of modern North America and China.

Shastasaur remains have been found in California, British Columbia, and the Chinese province of Guizhou.

Shastasaurus belongs to the ichthyosaurs - marine predators similar to modern dolphins. Being the largest reptile in the water, individuals could grow to unimaginable sizes: body length - 21 meters, weight - 20 tons.

But, despite their large size, the Shastasaurs were not exactly terrible predators. They ate by sucking, and ate mainly fish.

Dakosaurus- saltwater crocodiles, who lived more than 100.5 million years ago: late Jurassic - early Cretaceous.

The first remains were discovered in Germany, and later the territory of their habitat was expanded from England to Russia and Argentina.

Dacosaurs were large, carnivorous animals. The maximum length of the body, reptilian and fish-like at the same time, did not exceed 6 meters.

Scientists who have studied the structure of the teeth of this species believe that the dracosaurus was the main predator during the period of residence.

Dracosaurs hunted exclusively for large prey.

Thalassomedon are dinosaurs belonging to the group of pliosaurs. Translated from Greek - "sea lord." They lived 95 million years ago in the territory of the North. America.

The length of the body reached 12.5 meters. Huge flippers, which allowed him to swim at incredible speed, could grow up to 2 meters. The size of the skull was 47 cm, and the teeth were about 5 cm. The main diet was fish.

The dominance of these predators persisted until the Late Cretaceous, and ceased only with the advent of Mosasaurs.

Nothosaurus - sea lizards that existed in the Triassic period - about 240-210 million years ago. Were found on the territory of Russia, Israel, China, North Africa.

Scientists believe that notosaurs are relatives of pliosaurs, another type of deep-sea predators.

Nothosaurs were extremely aggressive predators, and their body reached a length of up to 4 m. The limbs were webbed. There were 5 long fingers, intended both for movement on land and for swimming.

The teeth of predators were sharp, outwardly directed. Most likely, notosaurs ate fish and squid. It is believed that they attacked from an ambush, using their sleek reptilian physique to approach food unnoticed, thereby catching it by surprise.

A complete Nothosaurus skeleton is in the Museum natural history, Berlin.

Sixth on our list of marine dinosaurs is the Tylosaurus.

Tylosaurus is a species of mosasaur. A large predatory lizard that lived in the oceans 88-78 million years ago - the end of the Cretaceous period.

Huge tylosaurs reached 15 meters in length, thus being the dominant predators of their time.

The diet of tylosaurs was varied: fish, large predatory sharks, small mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, waterfowl.

Thalattoarchon is a marine reptile that existed during the Triassic period - 245 million years ago.

The first fossils discovered in Nevada in 2010 provided scientists with new insights into the rapid recovery of ecosystems after the Great Dying.

The found skeleton - part of the skull, spine, pelvic bones, part of the hind fins - was the size of a school bus: about 9 m in length.

Talattoarchon was an apex predator, growing up to 8.5 m.

Tanystropheus - lizard-like reptiles that existed 230 - 215 million years ago - the middle Triassic period.

Tanystrofey grew up to 6 meters in length, had a 3.5-meter elongated and movable neck.

They were not exclusively aquatic life: most likely, they could lead both aquatic and semi-aquatic lifestyles, hunting near the shore. Tanystrophei are predators that eat fish and cephalopods.

Liopleurodon - large carnivores marine reptiles. They lived about 165-155 million years ago - the boundary of the middle and late Jurassic periods.

Typical dimensions of Liopleurodon are 5-7 meters in length, weight is 1-1.7 tons. It is believed that the most famous major representative was over 10 meters long.

Scientists believe that the jaws of these reptiles reached 3 m.

During its period, Liopleurodon was considered an apex predator, dominating the food chain.

They hunted from ambush. They fed on cephalopods, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, sharks and other large animals.

Mosasaurus - reptiles of the late Cretaceous period - 70-65 million years ago. Habitat - the territory of modern Western Europe, North America.

The first remains were discovered in 1764 near the river Meuse.

Appearance mosasaurus - a mixture of whale, fish and crocodile. There were hundreds of sharp teeth.

They preferred to eat fish, cephalopods, turtles and ammonites.

Research scientists suggest that mosasaurs may be distant relatives modern monitor lizards and iguanas.

The first place is rightfully occupied by a prehistoric shark, which is considered a truly terrible creature.

Carcharocles lived 28.1-3 million ago - Cenozoic era.

This is one of largest predators throughout the history of marine life. It is considered the ancestor of the great white shark - the most terrible and strongest predator today.

The length of the body reached 20 m, and the weight - 60 tons.

Megalodons hunted cetaceans and other large aquatic animals.

An interesting fact is that some cryptozoologists believe that this predator could have survived to the present. But, fortunately, apart from the found huge 15-centimeter teeth, there is no other evidence.

Do you want to know what kinds of dinosaurs learned to swim underwater?

Most of the huge swimming monsters we know about are called marine reptiles, not dinosaurs. These huge creatures lived in the seas and oceans at the same time that dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The most famous marine predator is the Spinosaurus.

It was the largest sea predatory dinosaur that we know about. Scientists think that he could live both on land and in water. He could dive underwater and swim, as his limbs were webbed in the shape of the flippers of modern drivers. He probably hunted sharks and big fish.

Spinosaurus is the only dinosaur we know of that spent most of its life in the water. Another marine dinosaur, Ceratosaurus, probably could swim and hunt crocodiles and large fish underwater.

swimming reptiles

Spinosaurus was not the only one large dinosaur living in the water!

The sea abounded with large and ferocious reptiles of all shapes and sizes. Here are a few of them:

Nothosaurus Nobu Tamura

The first major oceanic reptiles were the Nechosaurs, which means "false reptile". They lived in the Triassic period, probably led a lifestyle similar to the life of modern seals. There are about a dozen different species, but Nothosaurus is the best known. This animal was about 4 meters (13 feet), with long, webbed toes and may have had a tail.

These reptiles were replaced by plesiosaurs, which appeared in the early jurassic. Most of them had long necks and small heads - their size ranged from 2.5 meters (8 feet) to 14 meters (46 feet) in length.

Pliosaurus

The largest of these was the Pliosaurus. This animal had teeth over 30 centimeters (12 inches) long, and its jaw pressure was four times more powerful than Tyrannosaurus Rex. It is 15 meters (49 ft) long.

Another underwater plesiosaur is the long-eyed Elamosaurus.

Elamosaurus

It had four fins and grew to a length of about 14 meters (46 feet). He was a very slow swimmer and probably hunted down large schools of fish while hunting.

Their necks were so long that they could not lift their heads above the water.

Why didn't all dinosaurs swim?

The word "dinosaur" has a very specific meaning.

Science uses the term "dinosaur" to describe a specific type of creature (such as the Spinosaurus), but this name does not include marine reptiles or the so-called "flying dinosaurs".

One of the reasons different classification is different kind their limbs. Dinosaurs had limbs that were located on the ventral part of their bodies, and marine reptiles had limbs that grew on the sides.