Top 10 scariest sea monsters in prehistoric times

Do you often watch fantasy movies with the appearance of sea monsters? It's not just something fictional in movies, but sea monsters are real. Scientists evaluate the horror of sea monsters not by their identification or techniques, but mainly by their ability to catch prey, their wide food spectrum, and their ability to quickly digest. or basic organizational types such as claws, fangs... most suitable for hunting ability. Today we will talk about the scariest prehistoric sea monsters!

1. Megalodon Shark

The Megalodon shark is a species of shark that lived about 15.9 to 2.6 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era and became extinct. For nearly a century, there has been no consensus on the classification of the Megalodon shark. The two common classifications are Carcharocles Megalodon (family Otodontidae) and Carcharodon Megalodon (family Lamnidae). This sea monster is considered one of the largest vertebrates in natural history and may have had a major impact on the structure of ocean life. From studying their fossils, it shows that this giant shark could grow up to 18 meters long and was distributed globally. If the Megalodon shark still existed today, it would surely be a terror to many people, fleets and aircraft carriers.

The main fossils of megalodon are teeth and spines. Like all sharks, the megalodon skeleton was composed of cartilage rather than bone; this results in poor preservation of specimens. Although the oldest traces of megalodon date from late Oligocene strata, about 28 million years ago, it is generally thought that the species first appeared in the middle Miocene, about 15.9 million years ago. Although strata extending beyond the Tertiary boundary are generally devoid of megalodon fossils, they have been reported in later Pleistocene deposits. Megalodon became extinct at the end of the Pliocene, possibly about 2.6 million years ago, and post-Pliocene megalodon teeth are thought to be pseudofossils. Megalodon had a cosmopolitan range, with fossils recovered from many parts of the world, including Europe, Africa, both North and South America, as well as Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica, the Canary Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malta, the Grenadines, and India. Megalodon teeth have been found in areas very far from shore, such as the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
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2. Tylosaurus

Tylosaurus is a Tylosaurus, a large carnivorous sea lizard closely related to modern lizards and snakes. It was probably one of the largest mosasaurs in the world. Although it weighed only 10 tons, it was much lighter than most other sea monsters. But its small size made the difference. The Tylosaurus was very fast, it could swim at speeds of up to 50 km/h and its streamlined body made it more agile. Although it had large jaws and powerful teeth, these were not the main weapons of the Tylosaurus as we see in the movies. A bony protrusion just in front of the snout - this bone was reinforced and made the Tylosaurus very strong. So this sea monster used its 10-ton weight - equivalent to a truck, a speed of 50km/h, and a hard bony crest right in front of its snout to stab its opponents.

Tylosaurus is a Mosasaur, a large predatory marine reptile, closely related to modern monitor lizards and snakes, that appeared in the Late Cretaceous period... The fossil of a prehistoric marine lizard was accidentally found last month by gem miners in the Bearpaw area, a geological formation in the province of Alberta, western Canada. The 7m long, nearly complete skeleton, most likely belongs to a Tylosaurus in the family of Mosasaurs that lived on Earth 70 million years ago. The fossil was preserved inside black mudstone, a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of clay or mud. Donald Henderson, head of the archaeological team from the Royal Tyrrell Museum, said the fossil site was previously under the ocean, in the Western Interior Sea that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.
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3. Livyatan melvillei

Livyatan melvillei, also known as the super sperm whale, is an extinct member of the prehistoric toothed whale order and is considered the largest toothed whale ever known. They may have lived 13.6 to 11.6 million years ago. The giant teeth and large body size of this whale would have terrified many people when they encountered them in the ocean. Melvillei and Megalodon became two apex predators, rivals of each other in the ocean at that time. One was the largest carnivorous fish (Megalodon), the other was the largest predatory mammal (L. Melvillei). Researchers named this species Livyatan Melvillei. "Livyatan" is the transliteration of Leviathan, a giant sea monster in mythology, and "Melvillei" is based on the name of the writer Herman Melville - author of the famous novel Moby Dick, about a huge, ferocious and incredibly powerful whale, considered by whalers as the lord of the ocean.

The length of this ancient giant sperm whale is about 13.5 m to 17.5 m, its weight is still unknown but estimated to be about 40 to 70 tons. Melvillei has a 3 meter long skull with a wide jaw and sharp conical teeth up to 36 cm long - the largest teeth of all known animals (except elephant tusks). At the same time, the upper molars also have a concave part that helps fit closely with the lower molars when the mouth is closed, increasing the ability to cut meat. With its enormous size and the fact that Livyatan melvillei lives in the same area as the super shark Carcharodon megalodon, it is inevitable that these two species will collide with each other in fierce battles. In terms of size, the two species are similar, but Livyatan has an important advantage: This species can hunt in groups while Megalodon lives alone, so if a fight occurs, a Megalodon will have to fight many Livyatan at the same time, then the defeat of Megalodon is certain.
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4. Predator X - Pliosaurus

Predator X - Pliosaurs have a skull up to 3 meters long, 30cm long teeth Predator X has a bite force of up to 15 tons, 4 times that of Trex. Predator X - the animal with the strongest bite force in history, it uses two front fins to swim at a maximum speed of 18km/h (5m/s) compared to other animals swimming with tails of the same size. The weakness of Predator X - Pliosaurs is its own slowness, not very agile. With two sharp, pointed teeth, large body weight, this sea monster has become the most fearsome sea monster of prehistoric times.

Pliosaurus is a genus of Plesiosauria that lived during the Kimmeridge and Tithonian periods (Late Jurassic) in what is now Europe and South America. Their diet includes fish, cephalopods, and marine reptiles. The genus once included several species, but recent research has shown that there are only six valid species. Pliosaurus currently comprises the type species P. brachydeirus, along with P. brachyspondylus, P. carpenteri, P. funkei, P. kevani, P. macromerus, P. rossicus and P. westburyensis, and the suspected species P. portentificus. Most Pliosaurus species are notable for their large body size, although only juveniles of P. brachydeirus, P. brachyspondylus and P. portentificus are known.
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5. Cretoxyrhina

Cretoxyrhina is an extinct member of the shark family. It is estimated that this monster was up to 7 meters long. Is Cretoxyrhina the smallest predator on this list? However, with a length of 7 meters, it is still enough to prove the formidable power of this monster. Very aggressive and scary. Cretoxyrhina will attack any animal if they are smaller than its size, even large turtles as well as marine reptiles such as Mosasaurs. It is estimated from discovered fossil specimens that the Cretoxyrhina shark could be up to 7 meters long and weigh about 3.5 tons, larger than the largest great white shark today. It can be said that the Cretoxyrhina shark and the modern great white shark are considered distant relatives, but there is no direct evolutionary relationship between them but they belong to the same order.

The prehistoric shark Cretoxyrhina is believed to have looked similar to the modern mako shark, with a streamlined body that could reduce drag in the water. The Cretoxyrhina shark had a giant head with large black eyes, a row of vertical gills behind its mouth, a triangular dorsal fin and long pectoral fins on both sides of its body. It also had a large, crescent-shaped tail. The most terrifying thing about the Cretoxyrhina shark was its giant mouth full of teeth. Inside its mouth were 7 rows of sharp teeth in each jaw. Each row of teeth consisted of 34 to 36 teeth, with a total of more than 500 teeth existing together in the mouth. The Cretoxyrhina's teeth were long and pointed, with sharp edges but no serrated structure, their teeth were on average more than 6 cm long, equivalent to the length of our little finger. With such fearsome teeth, this shark is perfectly suited to hunting large prey such as marine reptiles.
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6. Basilosaurus

Basilosaurus, also known as Zeuglodon, nicknamed King of Reptiles, is a genus of whales. Its fossil remains were first discovered in the southern United States and were initially thought to belong to some kind of reptilian sea monster, hence the addition of the suffix "saurus" (meaning lizard) to the scientific name, but this was later found to be incorrect. Fossils of at least two other species of this taxon have been found in Egypt and Pakistan. Basilosaurus averaged about 18m in length and are considered the largest animals that lived during their time. They exhibit a degree of elongation unparalleled by modern whales. Their very small vestigial hind limbs have also attracted the attention of paleontologists. This species is the state fossil of the states of Mississippi and Alabama in the United States.

Basilosaurus is a genus of whales that lived 40 to 34 million years ago during the late Eocene. Its fossil remains were first discovered in the southern United States - Louisiana. It was initially thought to be a marine reptile, perhaps because of the addition of the lizard suffix - "saurus" to its scientific name, but later this was found to be incorrect. Fossils of at least two other species have been found in Pakistan and India. Basilosaurus had an average length of 18 meters, considered one of the largest animals that lived at that time. With its large body, it looked somewhat like a giant shark. It looked so scary, so fierce!
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7. Kronosaurus

The Kronosaurus lived in the middle of the Cretaceous period. They had a maximum length of 10 meters and weighed nearly 7 tons, and were considered the ultimate predators at that time. Kronosaurus had a large head, strong jaws, and teeth that could be up to 7cm long, especially the largest one that could be up to 30cm long. Although not as large and strong as some marine reptiles that appeared from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. However, thanks to its smaller size, it swam faster, was more agile, and became a terrifying predator in prehistoric times. Looking at their large mouths, sharp teeth, and their "huge" size made this animal even more terrifying in the eyes of everyone.

The Kronosaurus lived about 28 million years ago. They are considered the largest carnivorous animals in history. Therefore, they are considered the largest sea monster in the ocean and the largest of all species proven to have ever existed. They possess a powerful set of teeth, with a total of about 276 teeth, some up to 30 cm long. Despite their large bodies, thanks to the physical structure of their bodies, they can move at speeds of up to 70 km/h, the flexibility of their tails makes it easy for them to catch the fastest moving prey. Scientists have studied that they have a bite force of up to 8 tons, much larger than the T-rex dinosaur. Scientists have studied and shown that this species has a rather tactical way of hunting, they will bite off the fins so that the prey cannot swim.
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8. Elasmosaurus

Elasmosaurus was up to 14 meters long and weighed up to 2.2 tons, which is also the reason why it became one of the largest Plesiosaurs. This prehistoric sea monster is different from all other Plesiosaurs - large carnivorous reptiles because it has 71 cervical vertebrae and six teeth in each premaxilla (bone at the tip of the snout). The skull of Elasmosaurus is relatively flat, besides it also has some long, sharp teeth. The cervical vertebrae right behind the skull are long and low, and have a vertical lateral crest. Looking at its image, some people will associate it with the "lost dinosaur" - a long-necked dinosaur that lived in prehistoric Japan mentioned in the Doraemon story. This "long-necked" sea monster lived about 80.5 million years ago, in the late Cretaceous period and is considered one of the most terrifying sea monsters of prehistoric times.

The head of this species looks quite similar to that of a crocodile, with hundreds of sharp teeth, so their bite force is extremely terrible, able to destroy even the most well-protected enemies. If Tylosaurus is only about 15 meters long, Elasmosaurus is up to 18 meters long and weighs twice as much as its ancestors. Their speed may be slightly inferior to Tylosaurus, but their strength is absolutely superior. The skull of Elasmosaurus does not have a hard bone crest right in front of the nose like Tylosaurus, in return it is more solidly built than Tylosaurus, the lower jaw of Elasmosaurus is tightly connected to the skull and the skull of Elasmosaurus is also wider.
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9. Shastasaurus

Shastasaurus is also known as the ichthyosaur. This is a marine carnivore that looks quite similar to today's whales. Shastasaurus can be up to 20 meters tall, longer than any carnivore, more than 200 million years ago in the Triassic period. Fish are its main food. With a long and sharp beak, it makes us feel scared. Is the ichthyosaur one of the 10 most terrifying prehistoric sea monsters? No one can imagine the level of ferocity and fear of the ichthyosaur that lived in the Triassic period. Just looking at its appearance is scary, assuming they still existed at this time, it would be a concern for both marine creatures and humans.

Shastasaurus is very specialized and significantly different from other ichthyosaurs. It was very slender in profile, the largest specimens having a chest depth of less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) despite a distance of over 7 metres (23 ft) between its flippers. Due to its unusually short, toothless snout, it has been suggested that Shastasaurus was a sucker, feeding primarily on soft-bodied cephalopods, although current research suggests that ichthyosaur jaws are not suitable for a sucker configuration. In S. liangae, the only species with several well-preserved skulls, the skull accounts for only 8.3% of the total body length. Unlike the related Shonisaurus, even juvenile Shastasaurus are completely toothless. The snout is highly compressed due to the unique arrangement of the skull bones.
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10. Dunkleosteus

Dunkleosteus is an animal with a head armor up to 5 cm thick. In fact, Dunkleosteus does not have any teeth at all, but instead has large, sharp pieces of bone like knives instead of teeth. These pieces of bone fold together when closing the jaw, looking like a pair of scissors that help it break the armor of other fish easily. Dunkleosteus's bite force is up to 4 tons, it can open its mouth at a speed of only 1/5 of a second, creating a suction force that draws prey around it into its mouth. However, the slow movement due to its armor creating a lot of water resistance makes it unable to swim faster, which is the weakness of this animal. In addition, the back of Dunkleosteus is not armored, so when attacked from behind, it will be disadvantageous for this animal. With its large body and pieces of bone replacing its teeth, this animal can quickly crush its prey.

In the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago, there was a carnivorous fish with fangs and a giant skull, they were Dunkleosteus. With its fat body and ferocious appearance, this Devonian fish deserved the nickname "destroyer" of ancient times. In the second half of the 19th century, mankind began to discover a large number of fossils of many different ancient creatures, paleontology in the United States began to develop. Many strange fossils were found in Tennessee and Wyoming. In 1868, John Newberry based on the fossil skull and lower jaw (AMNH 81) to establish the Dinichthys genus, with the typical fish being Dinichthys herzeri. For a long time after the genus Dinichthys was named, almost all giant ancient fish found in North America were classified in this genus, and the genus Dinichthys was considered a "dumping ground" in the scientific world of animal taxonomy.
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