A new species of sea creature, dubbed Jormungandr Walhallaensis, has been around for about 80 years. millions of years ago in an ancient sea, which today corresponds to the region of North Dakota, in the United States United.
The discovery of this fossil was recently presented in the scientific journal Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
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The scientific name of the species refers to the sea-serpent from Norse mythology, Jormungandr, and the city of Walhalla, located in North Dakota, where the fossil was found.
This creature, nicknamed “monster”, is a monosaurus, a large carnivorous aquatic reptile that inhabited the waters of the North American sea at the end of the Cretaceous period.
Image: Reproduction / American Museum of Natural History.
Amelia Zietlow, lead author of the study, who is pursuing her doctorate in comparative biology at the Museum's Richard Gilder Graduate School American of Natural History, reveals that the fossil in question bears similarities to a large-scale Komodo dragon, if it had been equipped with fins.
The origin of this study dates back to 2015, when researchers conducted excavations in the northeast region of North Dakota, resulting in the discovery of a nearly complete skull, jaws, cervical spine and several vertebrae.
The discovery of the sea monster
A comprehensive analysis and thorough scanning of the fossil's surface resulted in the identification of the animal as belonging to a new species.
The new species combines characteristics of two known mosasaurs: Clidastes, a smaller and more primitive form, and the Mosasaurus, a larger and more evolved form that reached almost 15 meters in length and coexisted with Tyrannosaurus rex.
Research suggests that this recently discovered marine “monster” played a precursor role to the Mosasaurus and inhabited the Earth around 80 million years ago.
The fossil found measures approximately 7 meters in length, has fins and a tail similar to that of a shark.
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