For your consideration: One big, bad, marine MONSTER

wait for it, wait for it...

This reptile was as big as a bus and had teeth larger than cucumbers, and if you watch this video, you can watch it attack! In particular, you can gasp as it devours an unsuspecting dinosaur and a more-unsuspecting soccer (excuse me, football) player who inadvertently wandered, with his ball, into the freezing waters of the Svalbard islands in Norway.

This slick little presentation came out of Norway, and it brings to life that new species of the 30-foot-long Pliosaurus that was first uncovered in the Arctic last year. Norwegian researchers announced on Tuesday that, in August, they found the 150-million year old remains of yet another specimen of the same species, but the new guy measures 10 feet longer than last year’s model. (While the remains are pretty well-preserved, I don’t think the skin made it. And don't go looking for its footprints...)

This carnivorous beast was one of the largest marine predators to live when our Earth was a giant Jurassic park.

Incidentally, today must be Giant Monster Day...

See Ted Alvarez’s post about the “Mythic Creatures” exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum, going on now.

Charlie Petit at the Knight Journalism Trackers sums up the recent coverage here.

Alexis Madrigal at Wired news.

More on the research here