From massive sharks, to ancient whales with teeth, here are 10 of the most terrifying
prehistoric sea creatures ever!!
10.
Basilosaurus Despite its appearance, the Basilosaurus is
actually very closely related to a whale, and it was a very aggressive one at that.
Plus, just like whales, the Basilosaurus was huge, with an average of 15–18 m (49–59
ft) feet in length, and some feel it could've been even bigger.
Just to put it into perspective, the Blue Whale still knocks it out of the park at around
80 feet, but still!
You don’t want one of those things coming at you!!
The Basilosaurus was also one that had razor sharp teeth, another thing you wouldn't expect
from a whale.
Adding to that particular list, the body of the Basilosaurus was very fluid, so in some
ways, when it moved, it was more like a snake.
There is a catch to this however, the Basilosaurus apparently wasn't that smart, and didn't have
many of the features modern whales have.
It didn’t have echolocation and wasn't built for deep sea or surface swimming.
Regardless of these faults, the Basilosaurus was a mighty predator, and loved to feed on
both fish and sharks.
9.
Liopleurodon The Liopleurodon was a big creature in the
water, but there is actually some debate between scientists as to whether this massive creature
was only 20 feet, or actually 50 feet.
the general consensus is about 21 feet at max, but other scientists have looked at it
and believed it to be much bigger.
It’s hard to tell from bones, you know!
And missing cartilage.
Regardless of size, this reptile of the oceans was known for its rather terrifying teeth.
Its mouth was full of long, sharp, and pointy teeth that it would use to eat prey quite
swiftly.
Another feature that makes the Liopleurodon interesting in terms of science is that their
fins were shaped like paddles.
After doing some research, scientists feel that the Liopleurodon may not have been the
fastest creature in the ocean, but it was rather nimble, and agile, and able to pull
off some quick bursts of speed because of the shape of its fins, making it a true ambush
predator.
If you feel like you've heard of that before, it's because crocodiles and alligators are
known for their "first strike" capabilities, and the Liopleurodon seems to have shared
that ability too.
More research into the bones proved that there were two species of Liopleurodon, and that
means that are more bones to find in order to get even more details on the species.
8.
Jaekelopterus Rhenaniae The Jaekelopterus Rhenaniae has a bit more
subtle of a nickname: sea scorpions.
But you know, give its scientific name a go!
Who knows how you say it correctly??
Apparently, this sea scorpion was about eight feet long.
Which, when you compare it to the largest scorpion in the world today...is only about
10 inches long.
Doing the math, that means that sea scorpion is over 9 times as big as the biggest scorpion
in our world today.
What's more, while most modern scorpions have armor in their own right, this guy had much
more, protecting it from those that would try and eat it more than likely.
Plus, like "regular" scorpions, they had tails that they used to strike out at people, as
well as claws to snap at foes who got too close.
As for what happened to these "sea scorpions", there was an event called the Permian Triassic
extinction.
An event so terrifying and powerful that it actually wiped out 90% of life on Earth, and
these scorpions were in that 90%.
7.
Mauisaurus The Mauisaurus was a 66-foot long creature
that used to reside in the waters of the ancient world.
The creature was actually named after the Maori God "Maui", who played a big part in
their mythology, and was voiced by The Rock in the Disney movie, Moana.
But the reasoning for the naming was that it actually had its bones found near the island
of New Zealand.
The thing that was actually very impressive about this creature was its massively long
neck.
Sometimes the neck alone could have been 49 feet long.
So that means that over 2/3rds of this creature’s body was just its neck!!
What's more, because of the length of its neck, it likely had many vertebrae to help
it stay mobile.
This has led scientists to believe that the Mauisaurus could have been very snake-like
in its movements.
6.
Helicoprion There are many reasons to talk about the Helicoprion,
but what sets this shark apart from others both past and present was that it has a very
strange mouth that was actually incredibly terrifying.
As you can see, the Helicoprion was a shark that had a mouth that went inward, making
it resemble a circular saw of sorts.
What has made this so special in terms of the shark community is that no other shark
in the past or in the present has had this kind of "special" mouth.
Making many curious how this evolutionary matter came to be.
The mouth was coiled up and scientists had a tough time guessing where it went!
Thanks to artist Ray Troll, and several CT scans, scientists have finally been able to
see what it looked like!
The Helicoprion honestly wasn't as big as many sharks though, in fact, its average size
was about 15 feet, which again puts it on the small side of shark size averages.
However, despite its small size, it was very tough, for it was one of the 10% of life on
Earth to have withstood the Permian Triassic extinction.
But what might be the most ironic thing about this shark is that there is some debate on
what it ate, and whether it was as vicious a predator as other shark species.
It obviously wouldn't have eaten in the same way as other sharks, but how different was
it?
It’s very hard to say.
5.
Mosasaurus In the film Jurassic World, there is an "sideshow"
scene where the people are treated to watching a massive creature emerge from the water and
eat a large meal in seconds flat.
This was the movie’s version of the Mosasaurus, a massive creature from the ancient waters
of the prehistoric world.
While it does share a part of a name with dinosaurs, the Mosasaurus was actually a reptile
that was known for swallowing entire prey whole, which is likely where the film got
the inspiration to do that scene.
However, their teeth were advanced enough to ensure that they could chew their food
if they wanted.
In terms of length, the Mosasaurs were around 56 feet on average, and were more robust in
various areas compared to others of its species.
Ironically enough, it was the first of its species to be found, when a skull was discovered
in St. Petersburg.
4.
Kronosaurus The Kronosaurus was a dinosaur, despite its
look that makes it seem more like an ancient crocodile.
The consensus of size in regards to the Kronosaurus length is up for debate, but many feel it
was 30 feet long, and that was only one thing that was big on this seawise dinosaur.
In particular, its teeth were nearly a foot long, and that's per tooth.
All of these massive teeth were confined inside a nine foot long head.
However, one thing that many scientists are still trying to figure out is whether the
Kronosaurus could go onto land.
They base this hypothesis on its body, and specifically, its flippers.
The way they're shaped, and how they work on the body, have made scientists feel that
they're similar to certain types of sea turtles.
To that end, they could've come onto land in order to lay eggs in the sand.
But whether they did or not is unknown.
3.
Dunkleosteus The Dunkleosteus was a fish so terrifyingly
strong that it may have had the most powerful bite that any fish past or present has ever
had according to studies done on its teeth and skull.
If you're curious, the bite power of a T-Rex was the top dog in terms of bite force.
But based on the findings of the studies, the Dunkleosteus was either as powerful, or
even more powerful than the mighty T-Res.
But how could a fish, even an ancient one, be that power?
It had everything to do with its body, which was heavily armored.
This armor added strength to its body, especially its skull, thus giving it the power to exert
8,000 pounds per square inch of force.
But here's the catch, that was just on the tip of its tooth, so imagine what the rest
of its mouth could do.
Adding to that power and armor is the fact that the Dunkleosteus was 33 feet long on
average, and due to this, it was the Apex Predator of its area in the oceans.
2.
Megalodon In the present world, the biggest shark around
is the Whale Shark, but in ancient times, the biggest and most dangerous shark was the
one and only Megalodon.
A source of many feats and legends about how dangerous the waters of the were, and possibly
still are.
Maybe.
Most likely not.
Many bones and teeth have been found of the Megalodon over the years, mainly because they
liked to breed and raise their young closer to the surface of the oceans.
However, due to the nature of studying fossils, there's a bit of debate as to the size of
the infamous shark species.
Current estimates place it between 50-90 feet long.
Even if we put it somewhere in the lower reaches of that scale, it would mean that the shark
was double that of the Great White sharks of the ocean today.
Just as important is the fact that the Megalodon was a fierce predator, one that had to eat
a lot to maintain its livelihood, which actually made it eat other Megalodon's in order to
survive.
Which, ironically, helped lead to its extinction.
But before then, it was the Apex Predator of the oceans.
Much study is still going into the species, and some even believe that the shark is still
out there somewhere, waiting to strike unknowing prey.
1.
Livyatan Melvillei Whales aren't known for their aggressiveness
outside of a few species, but in the prehistoric waters, the Livyatan Melvillei proved that
any whale could be a fierce predator if its DNA was right.
To that end, some label this as the most aggressive whale species ever to exist.
The only real modern equivalent to the Livyatan Melvillei, is that of the Sperm Whale.
Unlike the Sperm Whale though, the Livyatan Melvillei had teeth that were over a foot
long.
With that size of mouth and teeth, they attacked all kinds of creatures in the sea, including
going after sharks, and even going after other whales.
As noted, this was an aggressive whale, and it would seek out prey rather than wait for
them to come to it like modern whales of our world today.
If you're curious about the name of the creature, it was named in part by the legends of the
Leviathan, from the Hebrew, and the other part of course inspired by the legend of Moby
Dick, written by Herman Melville.
It's also said, though not proven, that the Livyatan Melvillei could've been a rival to
the Megalodon.
Thanks for watching!
What did you think of these ancient beasts of the deep?
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