"Predator X" was the most fearsome animal ever to swim the oceans

[Nikos]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5920568.ece

A marine monster described as the most fearsome animal ever to swim in the oceans boasted a bite up to 11 times as strong as that of Tyrannosaurus rex.
The fossil remains of the huge pliosaur were dug up last summer from the permafrost on Svalbard, a Norwegian island close to the North Pole.
Analysis revealed that it was a turbo-charged swimmer. Its front flippers allowed the creature, dubbed Predator X, to cruise along comfortably but when prey came into range the power of its hind flippers kicked in to provide extra acceleration.
Measurements of its jaw and the killing power of its dagger-like teeth have shown that it could bite down with a force of 33,000lb per square inch compared with T. rex’s 3,000lb per square inch. Alligators have the strongest bite today with about 2,500lb per square inch.

Awesome find, If it were still around today you wouldn't catch me swimming in the ocean anymore!

[D.B. Cooper]

Pretty cool. Another fearsome marine monster is the Lipleurodon:

[Nikos]

Pretty cool. Another fearsome marine monster is the Lipleurodon:

While liopleurodon was indeed feearsome, it was outclassed by this new predator. 11 times the biteforce of T.rex! That's 33,000 pounds per square inch!

[Rapax]

Awesome find, If it were still around today you wouldn't catch me swimming in the ocean anymore!

Well it's not like we lack reasons to not swim in the oceans.



11 times the bite force of a T-Rex is really only semantics when it comes to us puny humans.

[Nikos]

Well it's not like we lack reasons to not swim in the oceans.



11 times the bite force of a T-Rex is really only semantics when it comes to us puny humans.

True, but just knowing it had 33,000 pounds per square inch bite force blows my mind!

[Surgeon]

T-Rex only had 500lbs more bite than a modern alligator?

[Nikos]

T-Rex only had 500lbs more bite than a modern alligator?

According to the article. I was a little confused too, I'm gonna have to research that a bit more.

[Rapax]

T-Rex only had 500lbs more bite than a modern alligator?

Apparently American Alligators have the strongest bite force of any living animal, so not being far away from a T-Rex shouldn't actually be "strange".
http://www.alligatorfarm.us/images/R...al.%202003.pdf

[ShADoW]

Ive heard the Hippo can have a stronger bite, but they just havent had a proper test on them.

[Nikos]

Ive heard the Hippo can have a stronger bite, but they just havent had a proper test on them.

Yeah, getting a Hippopotamus amphibius to bite a bite force indicator is pretty much impossible. H.amphibius is responsible for killing more humans then any African predator!

[ShADoW]

Yeah, getting a Hippopotamus amphibius to bite a bite force indicator is pretty much impossible. H.amphibius is responsible for killing more humans then any African predator!

Lolz i remember some people on tv trying to get a bite from a Hippo at the Zoo. At the end all it came out of it was the people were skilled in hoping the fence in a blink of an eye.

[ShADoW]

One question, i really did not understand how the aquatic dinosaurs became extinct. Any explanations?

[Nikos]

One question, i really did not understand how the aquatic dinosaurs became extinct. Any explanations?

Well they weren't Dinosaurs, they were Marine reptiles. There are a few theories. One being climate change killed them off, another being large marine prey died out so the large Marine reptiles had no prey to feed on, a very similar reason for the extinction of the Mega Fauna on the North American continent.

[ShADoW]

Ah, make sense. Thank you

[Nikos]

Ah, make sense. Thank you

No problem . Although, they could still be out there.

[vizi]

Lack of food.

[Copperknickers II]

Longest? 3 quarters of that thing is neck and tail, and it is still probably less than the blue whale in weight.

[Nikos]

Longest? 3 quarters of that thing is neck and tail, and it is still probably less than the blue whale in weight.

They count that. And it very probably weighed much less then B.musculus.

[D.B. Cooper]

It's a real shame probably none of us will see such animals in our lifetime.

[Nikos]

It's a real shame probably none of us will see such animals in our lifetime.

What I wouldn't give to see animals like this in the flesh! The closest we have to mega animals today is Balaenoptera musculus (Blue Whale). I would love to see one of them up close!