Scientists have discovered fossils of a new species of marine lizard that lived in the oceans about 66 million years ago. Khingaria acuta It was as long as a killer whale and had sharp teeth. The sea lizard lived in the time of dinosaurs.
Researchers discovered the new species in a phosphate mine in Morocco. There they found a skull and other parts of a sea lizard's skeleton.
He gave huge jaws and sharp teeth Khingaria acuta A terrifying appearance, say researchers. The sea lizard was about 7 meters long.
It was one of many predatory animals living in the seas surrounding present-day Morocco at the time. Scientists have often found remains of prehistoric marine animals there.
The researchers were surprised to find a new predator from that period in that location. “The seas around Morocco appear to be too densely populated to allow room for a new game animal,” Nick Longrich of the University of Bath, who was the lead researcher on the study, wrote in his report. Private website. “But we are still discovering new species.”
Marine life throughout Morocco was very diverse
Scientists suspect that the biodiversity in the seas surrounding Morocco was much greater than it is now. “It is remarkable how many different predators live in the sea,” Longrich writes.
Many of those animals, incl Khingaria acuta, belonging to the mosasaur group. “Their teeth are all different shapes, and they use them in different ways. Khingaria acuta “It has teeth that look like sharp daggers.”
Khingaria acuta It got its name because of these dangerous teeth. dagger It is the Arabic word that means “dagger”. Insightful Means “sharp” in Latin. This type is literally called a “sharp knife”.
It is likely that the animal became extinct after a meteorite hit what is now known as Mexico. The collision led to the end of the era of dinosaurs on land and of mosasaurs in the sea.
