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| Arctic sea monster's giant bite | Arctic sea monster's giant bite |
| (2 days later) | |
| A giant fossil sea monster found in the Arctic had a bite that would have been able to crush a 4x4 car, according to its discoverers. | A giant fossil sea monster found in the Arctic had a bite that would have been able to crush a 4x4 car, according to its discoverers. |
| Researchers say the marine reptile, which measured an impressive 15m (50ft) long, had a bite force of about 16 tonnes (35,000lbs). | |
| The creature's partial skull was dug up last summer in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard by a Norwegian-led team. | The creature's partial skull was dug up last summer in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard by a Norwegian-led team. |
| Dubbed "Predator X", it patrolled the oceans some 147 million years ago. | Dubbed "Predator X", it patrolled the oceans some 147 million years ago. |
| Its jaws may have been more powerful than those of a Tyrannosaurus rex, though estimates of the dinosaur's bite vary substantially. | Its jaws may have been more powerful than those of a Tyrannosaurus rex, though estimates of the dinosaur's bite vary substantially. |
| It is thought to belong to a new species of pliosaur - a group of large, short-necked reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs. | It is thought to belong to a new species of pliosaur - a group of large, short-necked reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs. |
| But even by the standards of this group, the creature's size has astonished scientists. | But even by the standards of this group, the creature's size has astonished scientists. |
| Its estimated length exceeds that of another large pliosaur, dubbed "The Monster", which was uncovered in Svalbard a year earlier than this one. | Its estimated length exceeds that of another large pliosaur, dubbed "The Monster", which was uncovered in Svalbard a year earlier than this one. |
| Expedition leader Jorn Harald Hurum, from the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum, said "The Monster" would have been big enough to chomp on a small car. | Expedition leader Jorn Harald Hurum, from the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum, said "The Monster" would have been big enough to chomp on a small car. |
| He said the bite estimates for the latest fossil forced a re-think. | He said the bite estimates for the latest fossil forced a re-think. |
| This one, he said, might have been able to "crush a Hummer", referring to General Motors' large 4x4 vehicle. | This one, he said, might have been able to "crush a Hummer", referring to General Motors' large 4x4 vehicle. |
| Researchers say the shape and proportional size of the brain resembles that of another "apex predator": the great white shark. | Researchers say the shape and proportional size of the brain resembles that of another "apex predator": the great white shark. |
| The biggest marine reptile on record is a 21m-long ichthyosaur, Shonisaurus sikanniensis, from Triassic Period rocks in British Columbia, Canada. | The biggest marine reptile on record is a 21m-long ichthyosaur, Shonisaurus sikanniensis, from Triassic Period rocks in British Columbia, Canada. |