The skull of a sea monster that preyed on the oceans millions of years ago has been excavated from a cliff in the United Kingdom and scientists say it is the most complete specimen of its type ever found. Scientists say that the pliosaur, which was the largest reptile that ever lived, was terrifying its prey about 150 million years ago. The pliosaurs had razor-sharp teeth that made them deadly killers, with a bite that was twice as powerful as a saltwater crocodile. There is a theory that dinosaurs may have been killed off by a poison.
The animal would have been so large that it would have been able to prey on anything that was unfortunate enough to be in its space. Rowe said it had four flipper-like limbs and was the top predator in the ocean. The skull was found on the southwest coast of England, known as the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile stretch of coastline in southern England. It is the only place on the planet where you can see rocks from three different periods in one place. Philip Jacobs, an artist and fossil hunter, found the pliosaur's skull buried in a cliff in 2022, when he was walking along the coast. The skull had to be excavated in a dangerous way, in which workers had to rappel down from the top and dangle on ropes. The skull is the most complete that has been discovered and there are some special features that we haven't seen before. "They are very similar to lions on the sea," said Etches. You get a pride of lions, but a lot of other animals. The rest of the pliosaur will fall out and get lost very soon.