Big ocean killer with bus living with dinosaurs

Scientists discovered fossils a giant reptile that dominates the ocean at the same time as dinosaurs.

The researcher Valentin Fischer of the University of de Liège, Belgium on May 25 announced his work on fossils of a pliosaur reptile , an ocean killer the size of a bus, according to the International Business Times.

Graphic pliosaur is as big as a bus from the dinosaurs.(Photo: International Business Times).

This fossil was discovered in August 2002 on the banks of the Volga River, Russia, near the city of Ulyanovsk in a well-preserved condition. Fossils with sharp teeth, healthy jaws, four fins, skulls over 1.5 meters long.

The pliosaur reptile lives at the same time as the dinosaurs, with the oldest fossil dating back about 135 million years.

The Fischer fossil discovered is named Luskhan itilensis , which has an unusual elongated muzzle, like a dolphin snout. This individual is as large as a bus, with very sharp teeth and four large flippers, topping the food chain in the ancient ocean.

"This is the most impressive feature, showing that pliosaur live in more ecological areas than we think , " Fischer said.

According to new research, pliosaur survived an extinction event at the end of the Jurassic period, reproducing before extinction. Their disappearance took place millions of years before the extinction event 65 million years ago, causing dinosaurs to disappear from the planet.

Pliosaur does not have relatives with dinosaurs but is a distant relative of modern sea turtles.