Posts Tagged ‘reptile’
Predator X – Giant Jurassic Sea Reptile Fossils Found in Arctic
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 20th, 2009
An illustration of a pliosaur, with its crushing bite force, on attack. -Atlantic Productions
Scientists digging in the arctic island regions of Norway have found the enormous remains of a new member in a family of ancient ocean reptiles, called pliosaurs, that lived during the reign of the dinosaurs. This sea hunter was at least 50 feet long and weighed 45 tons. The skull alone measures 10 feet long as well as the front two flippers. The average length of previously studied pliosaurs is about 16-20 feet. It is estimated that Predator X had a bite 2-3 times as powerful as T-Rex and 100 times more powerful than any animal alive today, at 33,000 pounds. As the top predator in it’s habitat, Predator X probably fed on fish, squid and other marine reptiles, such as the long necked plesiosaur and the dolphin like ichthyosaurs.
Excavating the Skull of Predator X - Kelly Nobay
The story of the discovery and excavation of Predator X will be shown in a documentary on the History Channel on March 29th at 8pm.
New Fossil Sheds Light on the Evolution of the Turtle Shell
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on December 15th, 2008
In the Guizhou Province of southwestern China, Chun Li of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has found a new fossil that may help explain the evolution of the turtle. The oldest known turtle species is from 210 million years ago and features a full top shell , called a carapice, and a bottom shell, called a plastron. The new fossil, named Odontochelys semistestacea, lived 10 million years earlier and has only a full bottom shell. The top shell is incomplete, with only bony extensions from the back bone and ribs.
Scientist used to think that a turtle shell evolved from scales that formed plates, which then fused into a shell. This new fossil evidence tells a different story of a shell forming from changes to the animals skeleton.
