Amateur Fossil Hunter Finds “Underwater T-Rex”
By Iliyan Hoskins, age 11
150 million years ago, an ancient apex predator roamed the ocean. The species was called a Pliosaur, and it possessed jaws more than twice as powerful as those of today’s saltwater crocodiles. It killed its prey with just one bite from its 130 long, razor-sharp teeth, earning it the nickname "underwater T-Rex." The underwater T-Rex existed 150 million years ago, spanning the early Jurassic to the Cretaceous periods. An adult Pliosaur was a 30-foot-long sea creature capable of traversing the ocean at high speeds. That’s why scientists bestowed upon it the name underwater T-Rex.
The skull of this formidable predator was discovered in southern England, among many other fossils. An amateur fossil hunter named Phil Blake was strolling along a beach in search of something special when he spotted the tip of the Pliosaur’s snout sticking out of the sand, near the water's edge. Scientists consider this rare discovery one of the most intact and complete examples of a Pliosaur ever found. [Read More]