søndag den 7. november 2010

Liopleurodon


This is the first post from a new category on my blog, a category of extinct creatures. The first monster in this category is the liopleurodon king of the seas!

The liopleurodon is a huge extinct marine reptile belonging to a group called pliosaurs. The liopleurodon was named back in 1873 by Henri-Emilé Sauvage, its name means smooth-sided teeth. Sauvage had at the time only 3 teeth of the animal, but today we posses more remains of the creature and know a little bit more about it. But the liopleurodon is actually a quite controversial reptile to discuss, at least when it comes to how big these guys got.

If you’re familiar with the TV series walking with dinosaurs you may have watched an episode where one of these creatures played a significant part. The narrator stated when talking about a huge male liopleurodon that it was 25 meters long and big even for its kind. Today most paleontologists think that size is pretty exaggerated and 18 meters is probably a more realistic guess when it comes to its length.

This magnificent beast was one the biggest carnivores ever to have lived on our planet. When looking at reconstructions of the creature it looks like a bizarre mix between a crocodile and a whale. I think it's crazy thinking about what other weird creatures once swam in our oceans, and even more that a lot of them probably never will be discovered. Some of them are lost forever leaving to trace behind them.

38 kommentarer:

  1. I was going to say "this looks familiar" until you mentioned the tv program and then i remembered. crazy lookin beastie

    SvarSlet
  2. I too am amazed at what was before us. I always look forward to your posts. Take Care.

    SvarSlet
  3. This is actually really interesting man! Followed.

    SvarSlet
  4. when i was a kid i always loved this dinosaur !
    so amazing huge and beautifull

    SvarSlet
  5. holy smokes man, i think i do remember seeing that on discovery channel. makes me want to watch the program again. i wish i could remember the name...love the underwater stuff.

    SvarSlet
  6. 18 meters is still gigantic! I would definitely not want to be anywear in the water near one of these!

    SvarSlet
  7. Looking forward to more posts on extinct creatures. thanks!

    SvarSlet
  8. Holy hell. That would've been cool to have actually seen.

    SvarSlet
  9. I would totally tame one of these beasts and put a saddle on its back so I could hunt dolphins :D

    SvarSlet
  10. It's a liopleurodon Charlie. A magical liopleurodon.
    It's gonna guide our way to candy mountain.

    SvarSlet
  11. I've never heard of this one. I'm sure you are going to post about a lot that I have never heard of.

    SvarSlet
  12. Oh God, what is that thing?
    Its a Liopleurodon Charlie! A magic Liopleurodon!

    SvarSlet
  13. Holy crap. 18 meters is like three times the size of my house!

    SvarSlet
  14. Yeah I saw that thing on walking with dinosaurs. Freaked me out thinking I would see one next time I went swimming.

    SvarSlet
  15. It's not so strange kids are hugely impressed with any dinosaur thing. They ARE impressive.

    SvarSlet
  16. I want the same in my aquarium :D

    SvarSlet
  17. Charlieee, charlieeeee, charliee, charlieee

    SvarSlet
  18. such a cute fish :P
    I'm really interested how this kind of fish would taste lol

    SvarSlet
  19. I remember seeing this on tv, damn scary.

    SvarSlet
  20. Oh man, I would hate to see this thing around today.

    SvarSlet
  21. Interesting, a shame it's extinct!

    SvarSlet
  22. This is one hell of a ugly fishy:D well, dangerous also..

    SvarSlet
  23. Man, imagine finding one of those at the beach.

    SvarSlet
  24. charlieeeee, it's a Liopleurodon charlieeee.

    SvarSlet