Guest Jordan Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Remains of 'Godzilla' croc found The giant crocodile was a fearsome predator (Image: National Geographic) The fossilised remains of a crocodile that ruled the oceans 140 million years ago have been discovered in Patagonia. Scientists have nicknamed the creature Godzilla, because of its dinosaur-like snout and jagged teeth. The US-Argentine team of researchers believes the animal was a ferocious predator, feeding on other marine reptiles and large sea creatures. The species is formally known as Dakosaurus andiniensis and has been unveiled in the journal Science. Strange morphology Unlike modern crocodiles, it lived entirely in the water, and had fins instead of legs. It measured 4m (13ft) from nose to tail and its jaws alone were a third of a metre (foot-and-a-half) long. Crocodiles evolved during the late Permian and became widespread during the Cretaceous (146 to 65 million years ago). Other marine crocodiles alive then had long, slim snouts and needle-like teeth, which they used to catch small fish and molluscs. But this creature had a dinosaur-like snout and large, serrated teeth. "These sorts of features are also present in carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex," said co-researcher Diego Pol, of Ohio State University in Columbus, US. "It shows a really unexpected morphology that nobody thought could be present in a marine crocodile." Family tree Palaeontologist Zulma Gasparini, of the National University of La Plata, Argentina, first came across a "Godzilla" specimen in 1996 in the Neuquen Basin, once a deep tropical bay of the Pacific Ocean. Prof Zulma Gasparini and the skull (Image: Marta Fernandez) But it was little more than a fragment and provided few clues to the creature's nature and habits. However, two further specimens have recently been discovered, including a complete fossilised skull. Computer analysis of the bones shows D. andiniensis belongs on the family tree of crocodiles. Scientists believe it evolved a different feeding strategy from its contemporaries. The shape and size of its jaws and teeth suggest it hunted large marine vertebrates such as the giant marine reptile, Ichthyosaurus, rather than small fish. Interesting shit. Source (and pictures): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4424734.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Falling Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Thats pretty awesome. And I love it when they say stuff like 140 gazillion years ago, I wonder what they base that on. I blame the very first archeologist... "Hey dude, how old do you think this is?" "uhmm, I think its 560 billion years old >_> <_<." "Actually, its yesterday's meatloaf T_T" Cool stuff though. Wouldnt wanna run into that creature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellfire Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 GODZILLAAAAAA!! Seriously the description reminds me of those monsters from Phantom Menace. Ray they usually study the rocks where they found the fossils, then they "use" something called half life (the time x amounts of radioactive isotope takes to decompose into something stable). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 I love it when they say stuff like 140 gazillion years ago, I wonder what they base that on.If you're actually interested, have a read here. Fossil dating methods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Falling Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 If you're actually interested, have a read here. Fossil dating methods Sweet. I guess that would make sense. Still weird though... n_n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-zim Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 pretty cool stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elniro Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 It's head does kinda look like the T-rex's head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario114 Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 I read about this in the independent, seems pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadKill Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 I thought they used carbon dating to age stuff, by the amount of radiation that's broken down in it or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddage Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Whilst it does look seriosluy cool I was very dissapointed when I read it was only 4m long, surely to warrant a nickname of Godzilla it should be huge! Oh well, can't win em all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted November 12, 2005 Share Posted November 12, 2005 I thought they used carbon dating to age stuff, by the amount of radiation that's broken down in it or something.I'm only posting these links, 'cause if I'm ever curious about something, I do some investigating to find out what's what. I now know what carbon dating is, and how it works. And if you follow this link... Carbon dating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario114 Posted November 12, 2005 Share Posted November 12, 2005 Whilst it does look seriosluy cool I was very dissapointed when I read it was only 4m long, surely to warrant a nickname of Godzilla it should be huge! Oh well, can't win em all Yeer in though the same thing, from the digitail pick and name i was expecting a real monster, but it turned out to be nothing amazing in size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukkadukka Posted November 12, 2005 Share Posted November 12, 2005 wow the ocean seems like a completely different world to ours, i wish i was a fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyellowbloke Posted November 12, 2005 Share Posted November 12, 2005 I thought they used carbon dating to age stuff, by the amount of radiation that's broken down in it or something. On with my geologist hat: The use of Carbon 14 in radiometric dating is not often used in Geology and Palaeontology due to the isotopes short halflife of 5,700 years, meaning over a period of millions of years the amount of parent isotope would be difficult to measure, however this isotope is useful for archeologists of recent human remains. More commonly geologists use parent-daughter isotopes of Uranium238- Lead206 (halflife 4,498 Milion years), Uranium235- Lead207 (halflife 713 Million years) or Potassium40 to Argon40 (halflife 1,260 million years.) Fossils can also be relatively dated through the examination of the stratigaphy in which the fossils was discovered, which can give clues as to the age and environment of the fossil linking it to an era in geological time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jordan Posted November 12, 2005 Share Posted November 12, 2005 Japanese Pedestrian (Brian Tee): "Run! It's Godzilla!" Japanese Pedestrian (Masi Oka): "It looks like Godzilla, but due to international copyright laws, it's not." Japanese Pedestrian: "Still we shoul run like it is Godzilla!" Japanese Pedestrian: "Though it isn't." From here: http://www.moviewavs.com/cgi-bin/mp3s.cgi?Austin_Powers_In_Goldmember=godzilla.mp3 Possibley one of the greatest lines from movie history. Curtosy of Mike Myers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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