Massive skull of ancient 'sea monster' discovered in England
FILE-Paleontologist Richard Forrest with the jaw bone of a pliosaur found on the Dorset coast. It is believed to be the biggest example so far discovered of the biggest predator to live on the planet. (Photo by Chris Ison/PA Images via Getty Images)
A rare and unusual discovery occurred in southern England.
The enormous skull of an ancient sea monster was located on a beach in the county of Dorset in 2022.
Paleontologists learned that the bones were of a pliosaur, an apex predator that roamed the ocean 150 million years ago, the BBC reported.
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The pliosaur, which measures almost 40 feet long, could propel itself quickly with four powerful flipper-like limbs. Its skull had 130 razor-sharp teeth, allowing it to kill its prey instantly.
FILE-Paleontologist Richard Forrest with the jaw bone of a pliosaur found on the Dorset coast. It is believed to be the biggest example so far discovered of the biggest predator to live on the planet. (Photo by Chris Ison/PA Images via Getty Images)
Fossil enthusiast Phil Jacobs found the bones while walking along a beach on the coast of southern England.
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Moments later, a drone found the pliosaur’s head on a cliff along the beach, and paleontologists slid down a rope to dig out the fossil.
Although the creatures' remains were found in the spring of 2022, the unique discovery and investigation will be highlighted in a BBC documentary called "Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster" with David Attenborough, which will air on PBS in February, the BBC reported.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.