In Norse mythology, Jörmungander was a monstrous giant serpent that lived in the sea of Midgard. On this occasion, it seems that science discovered a monster similar to this mythology since this species of the 24-foot-long sea monster is a type of mosasaur, a large extinct carnivorous aquatic lizard.
The discovery has been named Jormungander Walhallaensi, in honor of a sea serpent from Norse mythology. Believed to have lived during the late Cretaceous period, between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago, the creature has been described as having “transitional” features between two other well-known mosasaur species.
A new sea monster is discovered by science
Jörmungander walhallaensis was a marine reptile that lived about 80 million years ago in the Cretaceous seas. It was about 7 meters long and had powerful fins and a “stubby shark-like tail,” as well as bony ridges over its eyes that would have given it the appearance of having “angry eyebrows,” as they describe it. AMNH researchers.
This creature has various apomorphies, that is, novel biological traits that were not present in previous species and that represent an evolutionary novelty. It has characteristics of basal clades, that is, of the common group from which a type of creature diversifies, in this case the mosasaurs; but also features typical of more evolutionarily advanced genres.
Thus, this new species represents a transitional form between the primitive mosasaurs, which appeared about 100 million years ago, and the fully developed species of the late Cretaceous period such as those of the genus Mosasaurus, which gives its name to this type of reptile.
The remains were in perfect condition.
The skeleton was found in impressive condition, with almost the entire skull, jaws, and spine intact, along with a large number of vertebrae. After extensive analysis and surface scanning, a team of researchers has finally confirmed that it is a new species. Additionally, upon examining the specimen, it is estimated to be approximately 24 feet long, with the addition of fins, a shark-like tail, and “angry eyebrows” caused by ridges on the skull.
What were mosasaurs?
Mosasaurs were not dinosaurs, a confusion that sometimes persists. It was a family of squamates (Squamata), a group of reptiles that included lizards, snakes, iguanas, and chameleons. They are not even close relatives of other prehistoric marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs or plesiosaurs.
This story was written in Spanish by Perla Vallejo in Ecoosfera
