Researchers unearthed a well preserved giant skull of a pliosaur that was found to be around 150 million years old, CNN reported Monday.
Researchers discovered the fossil on the beach in Dorset, England, an area referred to by paleontologists as “Jurassic Coast,” according to CNN. (RELATED: Paleontologists Discover 230 Million-Year-Old Real-Life ‘Edward Scissorhands’)
Researchers are currently determining whether the remains could be of a new species, according to CNN. The skull of the specimen alone reportedly measured 6.6 feet long.
Sir David Attenborough, a naturalist, is presenting a BBC documentary on sea monsters from the Jurassic era that will feature the giant skull of a pliosaur that was unearthed in the spring of 2022. The documentary about this find, titled “Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster,” is set to air January 1st on BBC One, the BBC reported. The fossils are advertised in the documentary as belonging to “the Tyrannosaurus rex of the seas.”
This is next level palaeontology! Skull of a colossal sea monster extracted from the cliffs of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast https://t.co/ML7NmTuWpa 📷 BBC Tony Jolliffe @BBCAmos @alisonfrancis pic.twitter.com/L7CYzVlnj6
— Prof Jamie Woodward (@Jamie_Woodward_) December 10, 2023
Documented remains of pliosaurs record these giants roamed the seas from around 200 million to 65 million years ago, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The length of a pliosaur could vary from 16 to 85 feet long. Pliosaurs are thought to have likely the greatest bite strength of any creature yet discovered.
Emily Rayfield, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Bristol, told CNN the pliosaur could pierce inside a vehicle.
Steve Etches, a paleontologist who helped unearth the 2022 find, told CNN it was a “freak of nature” the fossil was in such good condition at the time of its discovery.
“It [the pliosaur] died in the right environment [for preservation], there was a lot of sedimentation … so when it died and went down to the seafloor, it got buried quite quickly,” he told CNN.
“It’s one of the best fossils I’ve ever worked on. What makes it unique is it’s complete,” Etches told the BBC.
This is not the first time Attenborough has pontificated about pliosaurs. The naturalist presided over the unveiling of one such fossil in Dorset back in July 2011, the Dorset Echo reported. “What a fabulous thing,” he remarked about the fossil
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to accurately reflect where exactly the creature was discovered.