Oct 11

Giant ‘Kraken’ Lair Discovered: Cunning Sea Monster That Preyed On Ichthyosaurs

Category: Uncategorized

Date: October 10th, 2011

Before whales, the oceans were filled with a different kind of air-breathing creature. These were Snaggle-toothed Ichthyosaurs’. They were the top of the ocean food chain in the Triassic period. Most  were larger than school buses!

Mark McMenamin is a paleontologist at Mount Holyoke College. He studied some of their remains in that were in Nevada. He believes that an even larger predator fed on them, this would be the Kraken. In the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada there are remains of nine 45ft Ichthyosaurs! Oddly, the bodies looked like they had been killed then purposely placed in certain areas. Scientist know that modern Octopus do this to their prey now. The arranged remains resembled a sucker which gives more evidence to this theory. If this theory is true, Krakens would have been the smartest invertebrate of the Triassic period.

I think this very interesting because Kraken’s seem like something you could only find in stories that involve Jack Sparrow or Captain Nemo. Now they’re finding evidence that these creatures fed on the Ichthyosaurs, which were thought to be the top of the Oceanic food chain back then! Ichthyosaurs were longer than school buses! But yet, the Krakens could eat them. How big were Krakens!?

3 comments

3 Comments so far

  1. 035896 October 11th, 2011 1:26 PM

    Oh wow thats insane! The idea of a Kraken once actually being alive is sketchy and amazing at the same time. I wonder if its still alive.
    -Emily

  2. 038386 October 11th, 2011 1:30 PM

    i find it interesting that there is something called Snaggle-toothed Ichthyosaur. good job lynn

  3. e02147 October 21st, 2011 2:59 PM

    Very interseting article about ancient sea monsters! Great job on your summary- 100%

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