In Japan, they found the remains of an ancient creature – the “blue dragon”, which has no analogues in the world
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Scientists in Japan discovered the remains of a unique masosaurus – a creature that, according to their data, could have lived in the Pacific Ocean more than 72 million years ago. It is called the “blue dragon” of Wakayama.
The creature was the size of a bus and was not a mammal, despite its warm blood.
The animal had a crocodile-like head and binocular vision, making it a “deadly hunter,” as well as four huge paddle-like limbs and possibly a shark-like dorsal fin, the scientists found, according to a study published in Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, writes Science Alert.
A nearly complete skeleton of the extinct animal was found in 2006 along the Aridagawa River in Wakayama by paleontologist Akihiro Misaki of the Museum of Natural History and Human History. It took five years to extract the bones from the bedrock.
| Photo: KostPhoto/Depositphotos |
The full name of the mosasaur is Megapterygius wakayamaensis. This 6-meter creature has no analogues in the modern world, scientists say.
“There is no modern analogue with a similar body morphology – from fish to penguins and sea turtles. None of the animals have four large flippers, which they use in conjunction with a tail fin“, says paleontologist Takuya Konishi from the University of Cincinnati.
The researchers suggest that the large front flippers helped the animal to maneuver quickly, and the large back fins to dive and surface. Its tail probably generated powerful acceleration while hunting fish.
Mosasaurs were one of the largest predators of all time, sometimes reaching 17 meters. For 20 million years, these fearsome beasts ruled the ocean and were the last of the great marine lizards, researchers say.
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| Image: Takuya Konishi |
Their teeth could handle anything from molluscs to turtles and sharks. They even ate their own kind.
Scientists believe that most plesiosaurs could not compete with mosasaurs as predators, but whether this was due to their different swimming abilities is unknown.
Read also: Did tyrannosaurs eat dinosaurs? Scientists have discovered the last meal of a prehistoric animal for the first time
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