The largest animal that is at present thriving is the blue whale. Now, new evidence shows that the super-predator was larger than a blue whale and it roamed the seas between 200 and 250 million years ago.
20 years ago when the late Elizabeth Nicholls, who worked with the Royal Tyrell Museum in Alberta, Canada at the time, and a colleague of hers discovered what was believed to be massive fossilized ichthyosaur bones, reported BGR. The ichthyosaur was a sea-dwelling reptile that was reportedly found during both the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
Although, evidence shows that this creature was from the Triassic period and scientists believe that its evolution was expedited in some way due to its massive size. Scientists believe that ichthyosaur had a two-meter-long skull. The creature was estimated to be 21 meters long, which made it a super-predator for the time.
The jaw-bone was measured to be around 96 centimetres long, the researchers said that based on the size of the bone, the super-predator could have been between 20 to 25 meters, larger than the previous specimen found in 2004, the BGR report said.
The researchers further analysed and looked at a bone found around 50 kilometres along the coast from Lilstock. These bones were discovered between the 1840s and 1950s, these bones were believed to be limbs at that time. It was later proved that these bones belonged Triassic super-predator instead.
The bones measured up to 30 metres possibly even 35 meters which would make it the largest marine predator and the largest marine animal to ever live.
from NDTV News- Topstories https://ift.tt/tLUuZnF
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