A “nightmarish” sea lizard with dagger-like gnashers has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Khinjaria acuta dominated the world’s oceans 66 million years in the past.
It co-existed with behemoths akin to Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops.
Khinjaria acuta was round eight metres lengthy, much like an orca, and had highly effective jaws with dagger-like tooth.
Khinjaria acuta belongs to a household of large marine lizards often known as mosasaurs
Andrey Atuchin/University of Bath
Researchers have claimed the tooth ensured it displayed a “nightmarish appearance”.
Archaeologists additionally identified how its elongated cranium and jaw musculature demonstrates a “terrible biting force”.
Khinjaria acuta belongs to a household of large marine lizards often known as mosasaurs.
The creatures descendants embody Komodo dragons and anacondas.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The creature’s descendants embody Komodo dragons and anacondas
GETTY
Dr Nick Longrich, of the Department of Life Sciences and the Milner Centre for Evolution on the University of Bath, stated: “What’s remarkable here is the sheer diversity of top predators.
“We have multiple species growing larger than a great white shark, and they’re top predators, but they all have different teeth, suggesting they’re hunting in different ways.
“Some mosasaurs had teeth to pierce prey, others to cut, tear, or crush.
“Now we have Khinjaria, with a short face full of huge, dagger-shaped teeth.
Khinjaria acuta would have lived alongside dinosaurs, co-existing with Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops
PA
“This is one of the most diverse marine faunas seen anywhere, at any time in history, and it existed just before the marine reptiles and the dinosaurs went extinct.”
A cranium and different skeletal stays have been uncovered at a phosphate mine south-east of Casablanca, Morocco.
Dr Longrich added: “Whether there’s something about marine reptiles that caused the ecosystem to be different, or the prey, or perhaps the environment, we don’t know.
“But this was an incredibly dangerous time to be a fish, a sea turtle, or even a marine reptile.”
