« We Got It For Cheap | Main | Listening to Sageman » Something a Bit Different28 Feb 2008 02:13 pm
It seems that the world's largest pliosaur fossil has been discovered off the coast of Norway. It's fifteen meters long, which is a full five meters longer than the previous record holder. The media sensationalists are calling it a "sea monster" but the classic mythical Scandinavian sea monster is squid- or octopus-like in nature and, indeed, the non-extinct giant squid seems more monstrous than this pliosaur who doesn't really deserve to be slandered. Comments (19)
Hello? Loch Ness monster? 
Didnt one of those wash up near Cleveland last summer?
Matt, forget the giant squid. The real sea monster is the colossal squid. Not only is it bigger than a giant squid, but instead of suckers on its tentacles, it has hooks. It even swims right up to the surface of the ocean in search of tasty treats. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2910849.stm
Speaking of cool fossil finds, you should check out the amazing piece from NOVA the other night about the link between dinos and birds -- in particular, one four-winged dinosaur recently found in China. One guy claimed that T-Rex, the raptors, and the other characters from the "Jurassic Park" films should have been covered in feathers. Quite the eyebrow-raising claim, but well within the realm of possibility. I can't recommend the episode and online materials enough for those interested in such things (even if just a bit). (Sorry ... I -- as well as my wife -- act like a little kid when it comes to dinosaurs. Which is probably why our three-year-old can already identify nearly 20 different species.)
Matt, forget the giant squid. The real sea monster is the colossal squid. D'oh! Should've read the comments before my last post.
Is that Nessie?
Careful, everyone. That giant squid link in the post makes "extensive use of backgrounds, font colors, tables and JAVA applets". Don't click it unless you're POSITIVE your computer can handle it.
The traditional Norse sea monster was the Midgard Serpent - a long reptile.
El Cid is correct. Matt screwed up and posted a picture of a small plesiosaur measuring 18-20 feet nose to tail. What the Norweigans are calling "The Monster" is a massive short-necked pliosaur that is 50 feet nose to tail, 1/3rd it's length jaws with 18-26" teeth, and by skull musculature - with 3-4 times the biting power of a crocodile. The BBC has some pictures on their website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7264856.stm To THAT guy, a colossal squid would just be calamari al dente. But I would give the Pliosau Monster, or any of the sea monsters of the past or present a chance, including great whites and supersquid of today - a chance at all against a pod of killer whales in full bloodthirst. (Full piranha mode - as some of their gray whale attacks have been described.) Video of that is awesome, as is video of two killer whales toying with, dispatching, then playing with the corpse of a 14 foot great white like two cats on a mouse. You almost felt sorry for the great white - so outmatched in speed, power, and lethality....
It's a liopleurodon. A magical liopleurodon!
This creature is pretty badass. A bit like the Midgard Serpent but unlikely to be disguised as a cat.
I am soooo glad I'm not the only dinogeek on here. **smiles wide ... much like the scavenging T-Rex would have after scaring away the real predators and eating the remains**
That Nova program about the early birds was on the radio this afternoon. Birdie was tickled by the subject matter (the name and all); Sandy enjoyed it too. It's hard to imagine birds evolving from that fellow.
Between the sea monster and the seed bank, this has been a big week for Svalbard!
Yes, the "Sea Monster" described probably has nothing to do with the Loch Ness Monster - which in turn is considered as merely one of an entire group of "Lake Monsters" that have been reported across much of the upper hemisphere, including all across North America. "Cryptozoology" is a fun subject. Loren Colemen is the expert on that - check out his site here: Way back in the early 70's, I used to hang with John Keel, the journalist whose research was the basis for the movie "The Mothman Prophecies". In fact, I visited the site of the original incident in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, back in 1969. I also used to hang a bit with the late zoologist, Ivan Sanderson, who was into cryptozoology and "Forteana". Haven't been into it much for years, since it inevitably turns out to be inconclusive unless you have some serious bucks to spend on looking into such things. It would be fascinating, though, if something like the "Sea Monster" had managed to survive into the current time, much like some of the smaller prehistoric fishes. Maybe they'll make a movie about this one, like "Meg", the one about the Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70 foot, 40 ton prehistoric cousin of the great white shark.
150 million years old, huh? But the world is supposed to be only 6,000 years old... Must be another secular liberal plot.
The Wikipedia page on sea serpents is pretty hilarious. It's clearly written by someone who really believes all these wacky sightings.
Comments closed March 13, 2008. |
Search
Subscribe to this blog by Email Books by Matthew Yglesias
Recent Comments
Recent Posts
Weekly Archives
Categories
|
Copyright © 2008 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
| 
Heads in the Sand
I think the Svalbard specimen is a bit more of the long-head / shorter necked variety such as the Liopleurodon, enjoyed by many on the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL2771508220080227
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2008/february/news_13456.html
Posted by El Cid | February 28, 2008 2:22 PM