Sea Monsters

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Xiphactinus Audax

Xiphactinus was one of the largest bony fish of the Late Cretaceous and is considered one of the fiercest creatures in the sea. A powerful tail and winglike pectoral fins shot the 17-foot-long (5-meter-long) monster through the surface waters of the ocean. Unlucky fish and unsuspecting seabirds were snared inside Xiphactinus's upturned jaw, which was lined with giant, fanglike teeth, giving it an expression akin to that of a bulldog.
A 13-foot-long (4-meter-long) Xiphactinus could open its jaw wide enough to swallow six-foot-long (two-meter-long) fish whole, but it itself was occasionally prey to the shark Cretoxyrhina.
Xiphactinus trolled an ancient ocean called the Western Interior Seaway, which covered much of central North America during the Cretaceous. Though long extinct, if alive today the bony fish would look like a giant, fanged tarpon.

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Styxosaurus Snowii

Styxosaurus was an elasmosaur, a long-necked variety of the marine reptiles called plesiosaurs. These sea monsters grew upwards of 40 feet (12 meters) long. About half that length was neck, a feature that allowed Styxosaurus to sneak up on schools of fish as it slowly cruised the shallow waters of the Late Cretaceous seas.

The long, pointed teeth of Styxosaurus were useful for seizing and holding prey, but they couldn't cut or chew. Instead, the elasmosaur swallowed fish whole. Predators likely included some of the fiercest monsters of the seas, such as the sharp-toothed shark Cretoxyrhina and the giant mosasaur Tylosaurus.

Like all plesiosaurs, Styxosaurus's limbs were two pairs of flipper-like paddles, which it moved in a figure eight motion to fly through the water much as seals and sea lions do today. In some cases hundreds of stones, called gastroliths, have been found associated with the bellies of these sea monsters, suggesting they swallowed the stones to help with digestion or perhaps provide ballast as they swam.

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Tylosaurus Proriger

Tylosaurus was the deadliest hunter of the ancient seas, ready to seize and kill just about any smaller creature that crossed its path with true jaws of death�lined on each side with two rows of pointy, cone-shaped teeth. Tylosaurus used its snout to locate prey, which, once inside the mosasaur's menacing jaws, was swallowed whole. When the sea monster opened wide for the final gulp, two extra rows of teeth on the roof of its mouth allowed crippled captives no escape.

Tylosaurus grew more than 45 feet (14 meters) long, making it the largest of the marine reptiles called mosasaurs. Like all mosasaurs, a long and muscular, vertically flattened tail powered Tylosaurus through the water, allowing it to ambush its prey with rapid bursts of acceleration. Paddle-like limbs helped steer the slim body covered in lizard-like scales through the water.

Preserved stomach contents indicate a diet heavy on fish, but seabirds, sharks, plesiosaurs, and other mosasaurs also failed to escape Tylosaurus's lethal grip. Though not a dinosaur, Tylosaurus lived alongside them and went extinct at around the same time. Many Tylosaurus remains have been found in Kansas, which was once covered by a large ocean called the Western Interior Seaway.

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Platecarpus

Platecarpus was a medium-sized mosasaur with long, narrow jaws lined with sharp, pointy teeth. This marine lizard grew to 24 feet (7 meters) in length and roamed the shallow seas of the Late Cretaceous in search of small fish and squid. Platecarpus was more selective in its diet than its larger and more ferocious relative Tylosaurus, a deadly hunter with eyes for anything that moved.

While not the biggest mosasaur, Platecarpus was one of the most abundant; its fossils have been found in ancient seabeds in North America, Europe, and Africa.

As with all mosasaurs, a long and muscular, vertically flattened tail powered Platecarpus through the water in snakelike fashion while flipper-like limbs provided the steering. Some fossilized specimens have thick eardrums, an adaptation that may have allowed the sea monster to chase fish into deep waters.

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Dolichorhynchops Osborni

Dolichorhynchops was a short-necked plesiosaur that used long, paddle-like flippers to fly through the water like a penguin. The marine reptiles were quick and agile underwater acrobats, with large eyes well adapted to spying small prey. Long, narrow jaws filled with 30 to 40 sharp teeth in a single row allowed Dolichorhynchops to grab its prey but not cut it. Instead, the captured fish were swallowed whole.

Dolichorhynchops grew 12 to 15 feet (4 to 5 meters) long and was probably covered in smooth skin. Its winglike paddles were constructed of almost a hundred tightly packed bones, making them too stiff for use on land but excellent for swimming fast. Though the creatures may have been able to dive deeply in search of prey, the need to breathe air meant most of their time was spent near the water's surface.

The short-necked plesiosaur likely had few enemies, but those that attacked were some of the fiercest monsters of the seas, including sharks with razor-sharp teeth and the giant mosasaur Tylosaurus. One famous Tylosaurus fossil contains the remains of a juvenile Dolichorhynchops inside. And Dolichorhynchops fossils have been found with unborn babies inside, strong evidence they gave birth to live young.

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Gila yah serem2 smua....

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Sebenarnya masih banyak tapi panjang2...../wah

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