00:00Imagine, you come across such a colossal creature that it would make the largest marine animals of today appear much smaller in comparison.
00:08Scientists have discovered the fossils of this titanic being on the English coasts, and think it once dominated the seas.
00:16The new species was named Icthyotitan Severnensis, but the researchers fortunately gave it the most accessible nickname of Lillstock Monster.
00:25It is estimated to be between 22 and 26 meters in size, almost rivaling that of a blue orca.
00:31As for the megalodon, it does not support the comparison with its modest 18 meters long.
00:36And what is even more incredible is that the fossil discovered was not even that of an adult individual.
00:43Who can say what their real size was?
00:45The first fragment of this monster was found in 2016 within the Westbury training.
00:51Researchers identified a 1 meter long jaw, belonging to an unknown species.
00:56This isolated piece aroused passionate questions for years, unable to determine the animal it came from.
01:04Then, in 2020, an unexpected event occurred.
01:07A father and his 11-year-old daughter discovered a second part of the fossil on a beach.
01:12This find paved the way for other discoveries.
01:15Until in 2022, the last piece of the jaw puzzle was finally discovered, buried along the coast of the Somerset.
01:24This marine giant belonged to the genus Shastasaurus.
01:28The Lillstock Monster therefore shared a common ancestor with the other members of this family.
01:33Which explains their striking resemblance.
01:35These creatures represented the largest marine reptiles ever identified.
01:40However, the Lillstock Monster seems to surpass the others by its exceptional size.
01:45While most Shastasaurus reached a maximum of 21 meters,
01:49it is possible that an adult individual of this species is measured up to 30 meters, or even more.
01:55Their morphology was perfectly adapted to navigation in the ancient seas.
02:00These sea titans had slender and graceful bodies, as well as an elongated muzzle.
02:05The other marine creatures of their time were much smaller, and looked more like dolphins.
02:12The Shastasaurus had paget-shaped limbs, ideally designed for swimming.
02:17Their skull, with large orbits, indicates that they had an exceptional vision.
02:23No matter the time or place where you tried to hide in the ocean, these creatures could find you.
02:29In addition, their remarkable speed and their ability to dive to great depths made them even more formidable.
02:36With such characteristics, they were among the scariest predators of the time.
02:41Their diet included fish, squid, and, if you have been there, yourself.
02:48They must have captured their prey in a similar way to whales,
02:52by opening their huge jaws to literally suck their victims.
02:56What makes the Lillstock Monster particularly frightening,
02:59is its undeniable superiority in terms of jaws.
03:03Unlike other Shastasaurus with relatively weak jaws,
03:07who were content to hunt smaller fish, like the current orcas,
03:11this titan required an immense amount of food.
03:14This is evidenced by the richness of the food networks in the oceans of the Triassic.
03:18The Lillstock Monster, however, has a unique characteristic,
03:22its ability to open its jaw to nearly 90 degrees upwards.
03:26Powerful muscles surrounding this structure, giving it a formidable strength.
03:32While others focused on capturing some squid,
03:35this monster was probably attacking large fish,
03:39or even other marine reptiles.
03:41Fossils of Shastasaurus have been discovered all over the globe,
03:45from North America to Asia.
03:48This suggests that these creatures have reigned
03:51and sowed terror in the oceans for millions of years.
03:54However, even these giants were not sheltered from carnivores,
03:58which explains the rarity of fossils today.
04:01Thus, although some fragments have been preserved,
04:05this marine family remains largely mysterious.
04:08These creatures lived in the oceans about 200 million years ago,
04:12at the time of the Upper Triassic.
04:14At that time, the Earth had a very different appearance.
04:18All the continents were gathered in a huge pangea.
04:21While some areas of this supercontinent were covered with lush coniferous forests,
04:27others spread in arid deserts or vast prairies.
04:30Although prior to the famous Jurassic period,
04:33we already found the first pterosaurs and amphibians.
04:36These monsters showed extraordinary resilience.
04:39Although the Triassic period was marked by a major environmental instability,
04:44they survived many transformations, until their final outbreak.
04:49The extinction of the Triassic,
04:51one of the five major events in the history of the Earth,
04:54hit the majority of species, including these leviathans, brutally and annihilated.
05:00The exact causes of this event remain unclear,
05:02but it seems that an intense tectonic activity played a major role,
05:06with particularly active marine volcanoes at the time.
05:09These massive eruptions probably disrupted the climate and chemistry of the oceans,
05:14resulting in the extinction of many species.
05:17According to a hypothesis advanced by scientists,
05:20a comet rain from the cloud of Urte could also have contributed to this event.
05:25Such a phenomenon could occur every 200 million years,
05:29even if none of us were there at the time to attest to it.
05:33After this extinction, the Earth took some time to recover,
05:37opening the way to the Jurassic period,
05:39and the appearance of even more terrifying new marine monsters.
05:42One of these creatures left us a gigantic skull.
05:45This fossil, 150 million years old,
05:49also comes from a marine predator of the Jurassic period.
05:52It was nicknamed the Cyrex.
05:54A name perfectly suited,
05:56because this monster could have broken a car in two with a single blow.
06:00This discovery was made by chance.
06:02A fossil enthusiast was walking along the Jurassic coast,
06:06famous for its many fossil finds thanks to the erosion
06:09and agitated weather conditions.
06:11Usually, there are niches of small fossils in a spiral.
06:15But this time he got his hands on a fossil of a marine monster.
06:19Enthusiastic, he immediately contacted experts,
06:22who went there.
06:24They had to go down the cliff carefully to look for the rest of the skull.
06:28This fragment alone measures 2 meters long.
06:32It is in fact a new species of Pliosaurus,
06:35giant predators of prehistoric seas.
06:37These creatures are among the most imposing marine predators ever.
06:42Some reaching up to 12 meters long.
06:45Their huge teeth served to grab and devour their prey,
06:49including other reptiles.
06:50Fortunately, these giants now belong to the past.
06:54But what about the scary creatures that still populate our oceans?
06:59Recently, biologists have identified the longest living animal known to date.
07:04They found it off the coast of the Gascoigne region, in Australia,
07:08a mysterious territory and still little explored.
07:11There, submarines discovered a terrifying siphonophore measuring 50 meters long.
07:17This represents twice the size of many blue seals and three times that of a humpback whale.
07:22This siphonophore, which looks like a long glass or one of these string toys,
07:27is far from harmless.
07:29It is a predator of the deep, and it is not really an individual creature,
07:34but a colony of small clones functioning as a single being,
07:37forming a real collective consciousness.
07:40Together, these clones stretch like an endless rope in the water.
07:44This siphonophore could well be the longest ever observed.
07:47Discovered at a depth of about 600 meters.
07:50Like jellyfish, siphonophores capture their prey by letting floating tentacles float.
07:56When a fish or crustacean comes in contact with these tentacles,
08:00it is paralyzed, then attracted to the main body of the colony.
08:05Expeditions to the submarine canyons of Western Australia have been extremely fruitful.
08:11In addition to this siphonophore,
08:13scientists have identified up to 30 new potential marine species,
08:17such as a new octopus or a new squid,
08:20a long-tailed sea cucumber,
08:22glass sponges and giant hydras,
08:24which look like overturned jellyfish.
08:27None of these specimens had ever been observed in Australia before.
08:31However, most of these discoveries do not rival in terms of fear,
08:35with those recently made in the Gulf of Mexico.
08:37This creature seems straight out of a science fiction movie.
08:42A calmar magnapina, or long-armed calmar measuring 8 meters long.
08:46It was spotted near an offshore oil platform at more than 2,400 meters deep.
08:53These tentacles are incredibly long and flexible,
08:56reaching up to 15 to 20 times the length of its body.
09:00It holds them perpendicular to it, giving it an even stranger look,
09:04almost as if it had elbows.
09:07And yes, it is still a predator of the abysses.
09:10These so-called tentacles probably allow it to capture its prey
09:13before dragging them to the bottom of the sea.
09:15We know very little about this creature that looks extraterrestrial,
09:20because it is extremely difficult to observe and study.
09:23If you find these tentacles impressive,
09:26expect to discover these 20-armed creatures.
09:29A new species, discovered in the ice waters of Antarctica,
09:32evokes the appearance of the facehugger in Alien.
09:35Researchers, who explored these depths to study cryptic marine animals
09:40called Promachochrinus, made this incredible discovery.
09:44These creatures, similar to stars and sea cucumbers,
09:48have a strange appearance and can live up to 2,000 meters below the surface.
09:53This new species has been nicknamed the sea star with strawberry feathers of Antarctica.
09:58However, despite this charming name, its appearance is all but sweet.
10:02It has a body reminiscent of a strawberry, from which emerge 20 thin arms.
10:06Its shades vary from purple to dark red,
10:09and each arm has different lengths and thicknesses.
10:12Brr!
10:13Who can say how many other creatures as disturbing
10:16are still to be discovered in the depths of the oceans?
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