The largest underwater dinosaurs. Russian dinosaurs

Dinosaurs were the dominant vertebrates that inhabited all the ecosystems of planet Earth for over 160 million years - from the Triassic period (about 230 million years ago) to the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago). I want to introduce you to the list of the ten most ferocious marine dinosaurs.

10 Shastasaurus

Shastasaurus (Shastasaurus) - a genus of dinosaurs that lived at the end of the Triassic period (more than 200 million years ago) in the territory of modern North America and possibly China. His remains have been found in California, British Columbia and the Chinese province of Guizhou. This predator is the largest marine reptile ever found on the planet. It could grow up to 21 meters in length and weigh 20 tons.

9 Dacosaurus

In ninth place in the ranking is Dakosaurus, a marine crocodile that lived in the late Jurassic - early Cretaceous period (more than 100.5 million years ago). It was a fairly large, carnivorous animal, adapted almost exclusively to hunting large prey. Can grow up to 6 meters in length.

8. Thalassomedon

Thalassomedon is a genus of dinosaurs that lived in North America about 95 million years ago. Most likely, it was the main predator of its time. Thalassomedon grew up to 12.3 m in length. The size of its flippers reached about 1.5–2 meters. The length of the skull was 47 centimeters, teeth - 5 cm. He ate fish.

7. Nothosaurus

Nothosaurus (Nothosaurus) - a marine lizard that lived 240-210 million years ago in the territory modern Russia, Israel, China and North Africa. In length reached about 4 meters. It had webbed limbs, with five long fingers that could be used both for movement on land and for swimming. Probably ate fish. A complete Notosaurus skeleton can be seen at the Museum natural history in Berlin.

6. Tylosaurus

In sixth place in the list of the most ferocious marine dinosaurs is Tylosaurus (Tylosaurus) - a large marine predatory lizard that inhabited the oceans at the end of the Cretaceous period (about 88-78 million years ago). It was the dominant marine predator of its time. It grew up to 14 m in length. It fed on fish, large predatory sharks, small mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and waterfowl.

5. Talattoarchon

Talattoarchon (Thalattoarchon) - a large marine reptile that lived more than 245 million years ago in what is now the western part of the United States. The remains, consisting of part of the skull, spine, pelvic bones, and part of the hind fins, were discovered in Nevada in 2010. According to estimates, talattoarchon was the top predator of his time. It grew to at least 8.6 m in length.

4. Tanystropheus

Tanystropheus is a genus of lizard-like reptiles that lived in the Middle Triassic about 230 million years ago. It grew up to 6 meters in length, and was distinguished by a very elongated and mobile neck, which reached 3.5 m. He led a predatory aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle, probably hunting fish and cephalopods.

3. Liopleurodon

Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon) - a genus of large carnivorous marine reptiles that lived at the turn of the middle and late jurassic(about 165 million to 155 million years ago). It is assumed that the largest known Liopleurodon was just over 10 m in length, but typical sizes for it range from 5 to 7 m (according to other sources, 16-20 meters). Body weight is estimated at 1-1.7 tons. These apex predators probably ambushed large cephalopods, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, sharks, and other large animals they could catch.

2 Mosasaurus

Mosasaurus (Mosasaurus) - a genus of extinct reptiles that lived on the territory of modern Western Europe and North America during the Late Cretaceous - 70–65 million years ago. For the first time their remains were found in 1764 near the river Meuse. The total length of representatives of this genus ranged from 10 to 17.5 m. In appearance, they resembled a mixture of a fish (or a whale) with a crocodile. All the time they were in the water, plunging to a considerable depth. They ate fish, cephalopods, turtles and ammonites. According to some scientists, these predators are distant relatives modern monitor lizards and iguanas.

1. Megalodon

Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) is an extinct species of prehistoric shark that lived throughout the oceans 28.1–3 million years ago. Is the largest known predatory fish in history. It is estimated that the megalodon reached 18 meters in length and weighed 60 tons. The shape of the body and behavior was similar to the modern white shark. He hunted cetaceans and other large marine animals. Interestingly, some cryptozoologists claim that this animal could have survived to the present, but apart from the huge teeth found (up to 15 cm in length), there is no other evidence that the shark still lives somewhere in the ocean.

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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), etc. "sea dinosaurs".

Because it would not be correct to call dinosaurs marine, we put such a phrase as “marine dinosaurs” in quotation marks and ask you to treat such an “amateurish” definition with indulgence later in the article. - Ed..

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 the "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 - "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 period, and ceased only with the advent of mosasaurs.

Nothosaurus - " sea ​​lizards", which existed in Triassic- about 240-210 million years ago. They 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 Natural History Museum, 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 have 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 ate fish and cephalopods.

Liopleurodon are large carnivorous 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 of modern monitor lizards and iguanas.

Rightfully ranked first prehistoric shark, considered a truly terrible creature.

Carcharocles lived 28.1-3 million ago - the Cenozoic era.

This is one of the largest predators in 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 up to 20 m, and the weight - up to 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.

Let's go back in time and talk about some of the most dangerous animals that have roamed our planet. It is a real happiness for us that these guys ceased to exist, otherwise human existence would be impossible. This particular list discusses ten of the most dangerous dinosaurs. Good news is that they will never come to life again, although it would be dangerous to see them now, but it is really interesting! This experience for some would be the first and last. We hope this list will impress you.

A photo. Suggested coloration of Sinosauropteryx

Its name in Chinese means "wing of the Chinese dragon". It was the first non-Avialae dinosaur to have wings. They had fluffy feathers, long tails and short forelimbs and were close relatives of the Compsognathians. Both belong to the Compsognathus family. However, the feathers of Sinosauropteryx are not suitable for flight. These were short downy feathers visible on the head, back and tail of this life-giving animal.

They lived in northeastern China during the Cretaceous and were the first dinosaurs to be discovered in the Yixian Formation. Many aspects and their biology are illustrated through well-preserved fossils.

A photo. Liopleurodon in the deep sea

The name means "smooth teeth" and they were marine carnivorous reptiles. They belong to the suborder Pilosauroidea. They lived in the middle of the Jurassic period and could grow up to a whopping 25 meters in length. Their remains have mostly been found in England and France, and one species is known to have existed somewhere in Russia. They had four strong limbs which indicate that they were indeed strong swimmers. Research shows that this body structure provides excellent acceleration, if not top speed.

8 Ankylosaurus

A photo. Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus means "bent lizard". It belonged to the ankylosaurid family (lat. Ankylosauridae) and was classified as a reptile. They could grow up to about nine meters in length and weigh over 6,000 kilograms. Fossils report that they lived during the Cretaceous period in western North America. A complete skeleton of these species has not yet been discovered, so the illustrations may not be accurate, but at least give an idea of ​​them. This dinosaur was heavily armored, which helped him both in defense and attack.

In ankylosaurs and some other ankylosaur species, the bones at the end of the tail have evolved into a rigid baseball bat-like structure. Some of the bony plates on the skin became huge and completely wrapped around the tip of the tail. Ankylosaurs also had wide hips, which meant that the muscles that move the tail from side to side were large and powerful.

The armored dinosaur ankylosaurus was a close relative of the stegosaurus and these dinosaurs fought off their enemies in the same way. Whereas Stegosaurus had a row of spines at the end of its tail, Ankylosaurus was equipped with a massive hundred-pound tail club. A well-directed strike from this projectile could easily break a hungry T-Rex's hind leg or even knock out a few teeth, although it appears to have also been used in intraspecific combat during the mating season.

A photo. Sarcosuchus on the hunt

Sarcosuchus means "crocodile flesh". It appears that they were very distant relatives of crocodiles that lived about 112 million years ago. These are perhaps the largest crocodiles that have ever lived on Earth, judging by the fossils found in Africa. They are classified as a reptile and belong to the Pholidosauridae family. It is generally accepted that they were as long as a city bus, over 12 meters, and they weighed over 8 tons. One skull was the size of a grown man, one bite and you were gone.

Unlike their closest relatives who lived in marine environment, sarcosuchus fell in love with rivers. He spent most time under water, leaving only his eyes on the surface, he waited for the animals that came to drink.

6. Allosaurus

A photo. Allosaurus

These guys lived at the end of the Jurassic period about 155 million years ago. The name means "strange lizard". It is classified as a reptile and belongs to the family of allosaurids (lat. Allosauridae). It reportedly had a large skull with several very sharp teeth and was about 9 meters long and 4 meters high overall. Some studies show that they could reach 12 meters. They had a heavy tail providing good balance. It is estimated that they weighed about 2.3 tons. Imagine if these creatures were alive or came to life.

It is difficult to assess the mortal danger of dinosaurs only from the fossils that have survived to us. But if you're willing to make a sort of time jump, then the Allosaurus was a far more deadly predator than the Tyrannosaurus. Be that as it may, the Allosaurus was not very smart. For example, a group of adult dinosaurs was found that died in a quarry in Utah, mired in deep slush as they chased prey.

A photo. three troodon

It was a small bird-like dinosaur and reportedly lived during the late Cretaceous period. Their fossils were first discovered in 1855 in North America. Other species have been found in Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming. The name means "wounding tooth". It is classified as a reptile and belongs to the Troodontidae family (lat. Troodontidae). They were said to have averaged about 2.5 meters in length and could weigh over 50 kilograms. As we said, they were small. But less is more deadly, at least in most cases.

He didn't have particularly sharp and scary teeth. But it was found that this theropod had a relatively large brain, at least compared to other carnivorous dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous period, and presumably was able to hunt in packs at night.

4. Kronosaurus

A photo. Kronosaurus

The name means "lizard of Kronos". They were named after the Greek titan named Cronus. These dinosaurs had a short neck. They are classified as sauropsids and belong to the pliosaurid family (lat. Pliosauridae). They reached 13 meters in length, but were usually around 9 or 10 meters. They were equipped with large teeth exceeding a length of seven centimeters. The largest of his teeth was 30 centimeters long. Its fossils have been discovered in Australia.

Kronosaurus had teeth up to 30cm long and used them to tear apart prey like huge fish, squid, ammonites and even other marine reptiles including ichthyosaurs and turtles. Possible bite marks from this animal have been found on one known Elasmosaurus skull.

3. Amphicelium

A photo. Amphicelia in Polish park Dinosaur JuraPark

The name literally means "duality". These dinosaurs were the longest known vertebrates, averaging 40 to 60 meters in length. They weighed 122 tons, and reached a height of a 7-storey building. They were classified as reptiles and belonged to the Diplodocidae family. Their remains were lost at some point, so these guys could not be explored in detail, although the movie Jurassic Park gives a pretty good idea of ​​what they looked like.

2 Velociraptor

A photo. Velociraptor

We're sure you remember these guys from the famous movie called Jurassic Park and this movie gives you an idea of ​​what a problem they might have been for other dinosaurs. The name means "fast hunter" and is said to have lived 75-71 million years ago. They lived in the late Cretaceous period. Their fossils have been found in China and Mongolia. They are classified as reptiles and belong to the family of dromaeosaurids (lat. Dromaeosauridae). They could weigh up to 15 kilograms and grow up to 2 meters in length. Although they may appear potentially harmless given their size and weight, they usually attack in herds and therein lies the problem. In addition, they moved very quickly.

1. Tyrannosaurus

A photo. Apocalyptic scene with tyrannosaurs

We're sure you'd expect the Tysarosaurus to be at the top of the list. The name means "tyrant lizard". Fossils report that these guys lived in western North America about 67 million years ago. They are classified as reptiles and belong to the tyrannosaurid family (lat. Tyrannosauridae). They could grow over 12 meters in length and usually weighed over 6 tons. They were armed with claws and long powerful tails. We are just sure that you can imagine these guys very well if you saw them in the Jurassic Park movie.

Tyrannosaurus rex was first reported to have scaly skin, followed by reports that the lizard king may have been covered in "fluffy feathers," but a new study on tyrannosaurus rex skin reports that these dinosaurs were not covered in feathers.

We will never know if Tyrannosaurus was especially fierce or scarier than other, lesser-known tyrannosaurs like Albertosaurus or Alioramus, whether it hunted live prey or feasted on most of its time. already dead carcasses. In any case, there is no doubt that Tyrannosaurus Rex was the ultimate killing machine when circumstances called for, given its weight of 5 to 8 tons, sharp eyesight, and huge head studded with numerous sharp teeth.

Well, if you have not satisfied your interest in dinosaurs, then we advise you to look documentary"Planet Dinosaur" (Planet Dinosaur), consisting of several series.

Surprisingly, even 120 years ago, paleontologists believed that there were simply no dinosaurs in Russia. American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh stated: "Russian dinosaurs, like the snakes of Ireland, are remarkable only in that they do not exist." However, further excavations did not confirm the statement of Charles Marsh, and by now Russian dinosaurs found quite a large number.

The main reason that far fewer dinosaur bones have been found in our country than in some other countries is the peculiarity of the landscape. Most of Russia is covered with dense and impenetrable forests. Archaeologists simply do not have the opportunity to cut down part of the forest to unearth the bones of prehistoric animals. Those areas that are free from forests and cultivated fields provide extremely scarce material. A hundred years ago, in Asia and America, where there are vast desert areas where there are no forests or cultivated fields, thousands of dinosaur bones and even entire dinosaur cemeteries were found. Compared to this, the finds even in modern Russia are more than scarce.

Another reason why Russian archaeologists have no luck with dinosaurs is the fact that in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which were rich in dinosaur diversity, half of the territory of present-day Russia was covered by seas. According to the assumptions of scientists, there were no less dinosaurs than on the territory of present-day Canada, the USA or China, however, their remains ended up in the zone of demolition of sediments from sand and clay, which dragged the bones into the seas and literally ground them into dust. Unlike the arid regions of the world, where most of the prehistoric pangolins were found, dinosaur bones in Russia suffered a rather deplorable fate. Even those bones that were well preserved in the ground were literally erased and destroyed from the glaciers that passed through the territory of Russia, and then they entered into action. melt water formed from melting glaciers. As a result, the bones were broken, and subsequently blurred. This explains the paucity of finds on the territory of the largest country, which, it would seem, should have given a real "harvest" of a variety of dinosaurs.

However, not everything is so bad. All the negative factors that influenced the fossilized remains of dinosaurs could not completely destroy their traces and now we know several types of dinosaurs that lived in certain regions of our country.

Often the remains of dinosaurs are found by chance: during the development rock, in mining, unexpected finds ordinary people, erosion of bones by rivers and lakes, and so on. Unfortunately, few people pay attention to the bones that come across on the way, and often people just pass by. For example, paleontologist and writer Ivan Yefremov described his expedition to the Kazakh steppes in the 1920s as follows: "The whole day the horse walked over countless dinosaur bones." The bones covered territories of tens of kilometers. However, in those days, no one needed these skeletons; there were much more pressing issues in the country than the collection of bones of extinct animals. Fifty years later, the researchers went to the Kazakh steppes, but the cemetery was lost and a negligible amount of what Efremov described was found.

For a long time, archaeologists found only individual bones, vertebrae, parts of skulls. A complete dinosaur skeleton was only found in the 1990s. Dinosaur was found on Far East in the hills near Kundur. turned out to be a hadrozvr, which was given the name Olorotitan Arharin (Olorotitan arharensis). This discovery was followed by others. The scientists finally got lucky. The Hadrosvars of these places are considered to be among the very last that existed on earth before the prehistoric lizards became extinct.

Several large dinosaur cemeteries have been found in the last twenty years. The main locations are beyond the Urals - in Kundur, Blagoveshchensk, Shestakov. Also, dinosaurs were found in Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Yakutia, the Republic of Tyva, Kemerovo region, Moscow region. Finds in the Krasnoyarsk Territory are considered truly unique. Turtle shells, crocodile teeth, claws of dinosaurs that lived in the middle of the Jurassic period were found here. This bone deposit is unique in that the middle of the Jurassic period is considered a white spot all over the world. Very few traces of him have survived. Not surprisingly, new species of dinosaurs have been found here, including Stegosaurus and the dinosaur Kileskus (Kileskus aristotocus), which is considered the ancestor of tyrannosaurs.

What dinosaurs lived in Russia:

Ivantosaurus

Compsognathus

Kulindadromeus zabaikalsky

Olorotitan Arkharinsky

10. Shastasaurus(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. Its reign as a predator continued until the 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 relatives of pliosaurs, another type of deep-sea marine predators. 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(Tanystropheus)

Although Tanystropheus was not strictly marine life, 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 most large predators in maritime history and one of the largest sharks ever recorded, Megalodons were incredibly scary creatures.
Megalodons prowled the depths of the oceans for cenozoic era, 28 - 1.5 million years ago, and were a much larger version of the great white shark, the most feared 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!