By: Ethan Cao

The fossil of a Great Sea Lizard (Thalassotitan atrox) by researchers from the University of Bath. During the famous Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs ruled the land, this terrifying titan ruled the sea.

The name of this creature comes from Greek; “Thalasso” and “titan” mean sea giant. “Atrox” translates to “ruthless” or “cruel”. The lead researcher, Dr. Nick Longrich said, “Thalassotitan was an amazing, terrifying animal…Imagine a Komodo dragon crossed with a great white shark and a T. rex crossed with a killer whale.”

Mosasaurs, a miscellaneous group containing giant lizards, holds a lot of terrifying creatures, although this titan might be the most terrifying! The reptiles typically grow up to 40 feet in length, thirteen times a human’s height!

The fossils were unearthed in an area. However, the fossils seemed to be missing some teeth. Scientists suspect many teeth were lost from the creatures after biting viciously on their prey’s bones. The scientists also believe that some more species and fossils are in the North African Country.

You may think that T.atrox are the most notable species. You’re correct! However, “There’s so much more to be done,” said Longrich. “Morocco has one of the richest and most diverse marine faunas known from the Cretaceous. We’re just getting started understanding the diversity and the biology of the mosasaurs.”