A new study published in October revealed a species of giant sea lizard with “angry eyebrows” that swam in the waters of what is now North Dakota over 80 million years ago, and it’s wild.
The Cretaceous-period sea monster is technically called a mosasaur, and was a “large aquatic lizard” that roamed the world, but particularly the waters that would one day dry up to form the state of North Dakota, according to a study published by the American Museum of Natural History. The creature sounds terrifying, as it had a “shark-like tail” and a bony ridge on its skull that resembled “angry eyebrows,” the full statement said.
“If you put flippers on a Komodo dragon and made it really big, that’s what it would have looked like,” lead author Amelia Zietlow said, according to LiveScience. The beast was around 24 feet long, but evolved rapidly throughout its lifespan on the planet.
Fossil found on the side of the road is a new species of mosasaur. Meet Jorgie the mosasaur
The new mosasaur was described Monday in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Jǫrmungandr walhallaensis, or “Jorgie” for short, is the name suggested by co-author Clint… pic.twitter.com/UeHZvFNGKI— Oppenheimer Ranch Project (@Diamondthedave) November 1, 2023
“As these animals evolved into these giant sea monsters, they were constantly making changes,” Zietlow continued. “This work gets us one step closer to understanding how all these different forms are related to one another.” (RELATED: Mayan ‘Superhighways’ Suggest We Need To Rethink How Advanced Our Ancestors Really Were)
But far more research is needed to determine how this monster fit into the flora and fauna of America during this period of history. Co-author Clint Boyd said the field of geology doesn’t really know much about what was going on back then. It’s pretty cool to hear a scientist say they don’t know something. It’s not a common occurrence.