The recently named monster, “Unktaheela specta,” is a deep-sea predator making its first appearance on the planet.
According to Sci-News, two distinct fossilized parts of the Unktaheela specta monster have been found in the states of Wyoming and South Dakota in the United States. These areas were once vast seas during the Cretaceous period, the golden age of giant reptiles.
Monster Unktaheela specta – (Illustration: CRETACEOUS RESEARCH).
A study recently published in the journal Cretaceous Research has confirmed that the two newly-discovered monsters belong to a new species within a new genus in the “plesiosaur” group.
At the time they lived – 80.5 million years ago – the land was dominated by dinosaurs, the skies had pterosaurs, and beneath the sea, there were various other reptilian species like ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs, and more.
Among them were the plesiosaurs, one of the most iconic and eerie creatures of the ancient world, featuring a long neck, sometimes longer than the body and tail combined, a snake-like head with sharp, crocodile-like jaws, and a robust body with four strong flippers.
In the reconstructed image by the research team, Unktaheela specta appears with a relatively short neck, a crocodile-like snout, small yet sharp teeth, a sleek and streamlined body like a dolphin, and long fins.
According to the research team led by Dr. Robert Clark from Marshall University (USA), this species belongs to a smaller group known as Polycotylids within the “family” of plesiosaurs, with some other specimens found in Australia.
The two excavated specimens include one with various body parts, including a fossilized skull, neck, backbone, and nearly complete tail, along with some rib and pelvic bones.
The second specimen comprises a small complete skull and several scattered bones.
These fossils are sufficient for scientists to determine that this creature was approximately 2.3 to 2.6 meters long when alive, still a relatively small size compared to other plesiosaurs.
Large eyes with structures resembling eyelids helped reduce light, indicating that they hunted in a much brighter environment than other marine reptiles. This suggests that it might have been a near-surface predator similar to crocodiles.
