A fossil of a giant marine reptile - a "monster" was discovered in Norway

Scientists from Norway have discovered a treasure trove of fossils belonging to giant marine lizards that roamed the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs.

Avi Blizovsky

Scientists from Norway have discovered a treasure trove of fossils belonging to giant marine lizards that roamed the oceans during the time of the dinosaurs. The 150-million-year-old fossils were uncovered in the Svalbard arctic island chain, about halfway between the mainland part of Norway and the North Pole. The findings belong to two groups of extinct marine mammals - the Plesiosaurus and the Ichthyosaurus.
One skeleton has already been nicknamed "the monster" due to its enormous size. These animals were super carnivores and lived in what was then a deep and relatively cold sea.
Paleoenthologists from the Museum of Natural History at the University of Oslo discovered the fossils during fieldwork in a remote area of ​​Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago.
Yoren Harald Hurum, co-director of the excavations, says that he is amazed by the enormous wealth of fossil remains in one area. "You can't walk more than a hundred meters without finding a skeleton. The thing is amazing wherever in the world it takes place. said.
Dr. Dave Martil, a paleoanthologist at the University of Portsmouth in the UK said that "This site is extraordinary. To find such a large number of details is impressive, it's really a bonanza."
Ichthyosaurs bore a similar shape to modern dolphins but they used their finned tails to propel themselves in the water. The Paleosaurus seemed to fit the description of the mythical Loch Ness monster. They used two sets of strong fins for swimming and came in two variations - one with a small head and very long neck, and the other, with a large head and short neck. The short-necked version is also known as Pleisaurus.
The discovery of the giant pliosaur, nicknamed "the monster" was one of the expedition's impressive discoveries. Its skeleton included a vertebra the size of a large plate, and its lower jaw contained teeth as large as a banana.