It's a Liopleuradon!
Do you remember the Liopleuradon? If you are of my generation, you may remember it in the Charlie the Unicorn Youtube video - fun fact, this video was one of the first viral videos!
Now that's vintage Youtube!
I watched this video again recently and couldn't get it out of my head, which has led to this post.
What was the Liopleuradon?
The Liopleuradon (Lio) was a large marine reptile, not a dinosaur. Although there were dinosaurs around when it was alive.
Many fossils were named based on very little evidence. In the Lio's case, it was named based on three teeth! It was named Liopleuradon (Greek) meaning "smooth-sided teeth" based on the, obvious, characteristics of the three discovered teeth. It received the name from Henri-Émile Sauvage.
The teeth were discovered in France in 1873. When the Lio was alive, France would have been covered in water. Based on the estimated weight of the creature, it was the top predator in its home.
Many people first heard of it through watching the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs or the Charlie the Unicorn video. While the BBC show introduced many to the Lio, it did get the size wrong. The show estimated the length at 80 feet because of the size of it's head. However, we now know that pliosaurs had large heads in comparison to the rest of their bodies so they were likely closer to 20 to 30 feet long.
Pliosaurs had elongated heads, shorter necks, long flippers, and thick torsos. It's skull and jaws took up one-fifth of it's body, giving it a powerful bite.
They have been found all over the world, similar to sharks or whales today. While today's Great White Sharks could likely beat the Lio in a race, the Lio could accelerate very quickly with four long and strong flippers giving it a hunting advantage. Unlike sharks, however, pliosaurs didn't have gills, they had lungs like whales and dolphins meaning they had to surface to get air!
Sense of smell?
While there isn't much known about the Lio as there is a limited fossil record, some scientists believe that it had an advanced sense of smell due to the location of its nostrils. It may have been able to smell it's prey from far away, giving it another hunting advantage.
Where did they live?
Most fossils have been found in England, France, and Germany although some have been discovered in Mexico and Argentina.
When did they go extinct?
It is believed they lived during the middle Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago. They were beaten out by mosasaurs by the early Cretaceous Period at the latest. To put that in perspective, the T-rex, one of the best know dinosaurs, was around during the late Cretaceous Period.
Mosasaurs were quick and likely out-fed Lio's rather than fighting them. Although make no mistake, mosasaurs tended to be much larger. Interestingly, mosasaurs would go extinct by being out-fed by pre-historic sharks!
Either way, humans would not survive a Liopleuradon attack so we should be happy they are no longer around.
"Liopleuradon." Prehistoric Wildlife. http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/l/liopleurodon.html
Stauss, Bob. "10 Facts About Liopleuradon." ThoughtCo. August 8, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/things-to-know-liopleurodon-1093791
I watched this video again recently and couldn't get it out of my head, which has led to this post.
What was the Liopleuradon?
The Liopleuradon (Lio) was a large marine reptile, not a dinosaur. Although there were dinosaurs around when it was alive.
Many fossils were named based on very little evidence. In the Lio's case, it was named based on three teeth! It was named Liopleuradon (Greek) meaning "smooth-sided teeth" based on the, obvious, characteristics of the three discovered teeth. It received the name from Henri-Émile Sauvage.
The teeth were discovered in France in 1873. When the Lio was alive, France would have been covered in water. Based on the estimated weight of the creature, it was the top predator in its home.
 |
| Liopleuradon feeding (Image Credit) |
Many people first heard of it through watching the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs or the Charlie the Unicorn video. While the BBC show introduced many to the Lio, it did get the size wrong. The show estimated the length at 80 feet because of the size of it's head. However, we now know that pliosaurs had large heads in comparison to the rest of their bodies so they were likely closer to 20 to 30 feet long.
Pliosaurs had elongated heads, shorter necks, long flippers, and thick torsos. It's skull and jaws took up one-fifth of it's body, giving it a powerful bite.
 |
| Size of a Liopleuradon and humans. (Image Credit) |
They have been found all over the world, similar to sharks or whales today. While today's Great White Sharks could likely beat the Lio in a race, the Lio could accelerate very quickly with four long and strong flippers giving it a hunting advantage. Unlike sharks, however, pliosaurs didn't have gills, they had lungs like whales and dolphins meaning they had to surface to get air!
Sense of smell?
While there isn't much known about the Lio as there is a limited fossil record, some scientists believe that it had an advanced sense of smell due to the location of its nostrils. It may have been able to smell it's prey from far away, giving it another hunting advantage.
Where did they live?
Most fossils have been found in England, France, and Germany although some have been discovered in Mexico and Argentina.
When did they go extinct?
It is believed they lived during the middle Jurassic Period, about 150 million years ago. They were beaten out by mosasaurs by the early Cretaceous Period at the latest. To put that in perspective, the T-rex, one of the best know dinosaurs, was around during the late Cretaceous Period.
Mosasaurs were quick and likely out-fed Lio's rather than fighting them. Although make no mistake, mosasaurs tended to be much larger. Interestingly, mosasaurs would go extinct by being out-fed by pre-historic sharks!
Either way, humans would not survive a Liopleuradon attack so we should be happy they are no longer around.
"Liopleuradon." Prehistoric Wildlife. http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/l/liopleurodon.html
Stauss, Bob. "10 Facts About Liopleuradon." ThoughtCo. August 8, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/things-to-know-liopleurodon-1093791
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