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Have you
ever wondered what swam in Earth’s oceans millions of years ago? Things
were much different then. Humans weren’t around, so we didn’t have to
worry about being devoured by gargantuan monsters swimming in the deep.
A big part of North America was covered in water called the Western
Interior Seaway, brimming with predatory reptiles. These sea creatures
were gigantic, fierce, and had razor sharp teeth, but there’s still a
lot we don’t know about them. Curious to find out what we do know? These
are some incredible sea monsters that once ruled the oceans.
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Ichthyosaurs
Meaning “Fish Lizard,” Ichthyosaurs shared the sea with several large
dinosaurs at the time. They originally swam like eels but advanced into
looking and swimming like a modern day fish or dolphin. Like modern
whales, they breathed air and lacked gills but could give birth in the
water. |
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Shastasaurus
Located in California, British Columbia, and China, the Shastasaurus was
a massive sea creature, measuring up to 21 meters long. In fact, it’s
considered to be the largest marine reptile to ever live. In spite of
it’s size, Shastasaurus primarily lived off of small fish, cephalopods,
and squids. |
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Pliosaur
Built for speed, the Pliosaur had a short neck and could swim up to 10
km/h. They hunted fish, cephalopods, and other marine reptiles but have
been found to also have land dinosaur remains in their stomachs. |
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Thalassomedon
Found in Colorado and Montanna, the Thalassomedon has a long neck and
was only known in the Late Cretaceous due to other predators taking
over. |
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Squalicorax
Resembling a modern day Great White Shark, the squalicorax has been
found in North America, Europe, and North Africa. Remarkably, it’s been
discovered that the squalicorax ate dinosaurs. With teeth measuring up
to 21 millimeters wide we’re sure this creature had no problems
crunching through dinosaur bones.
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Xiphactinus
Xiphactinus is considered one of the fiercest and largest bony fish of
the Late Cretaceous. At 13-feet-long it swam around the Western Interior
Seaway and was capable of eating a 6-foot fish whole.
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Dakosaurus
Nicknamed “Godzilla” due to its skull shape, the Dakosaurus’s appearance
to the famed beast stops there. It swam around in the sea and shared
much of the same waters of modern-day crocodiles.
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Elasmosaurus
One of the best-known plesiosaurs in the world, the Elasmosaurus is
renowned for its incredibly long neck. While not a fast swimmer, it
would use stalking tactics to prey on its food.
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