Predator X is a 2009 television special on the cable television channel History. The show documents the excavation of a giant pliosaur on an island in the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. [1] The special follows Dr. Jørn Hurum and a team of paleontologists from the University of Oslo as they excavate the site.
The specimen — claimed by Hurum at the time to be a new species [2] — had not received a taxonomic classification by the time of the television special and was, therefore, codenamed " Predator X". The team initially called their discovery "The Monster", and the nickname has been used extensively by the media. [3] [4]
The initial discovery was made in 2006, as part of a find of dozens of pliosaur and plesiosaur specimens. First estimates were of nearly 15 m (49 ft) in length, "The Monster" is the largest pliosaur skeleton ever discovered, considerably larger than Kronosaurus. [5] [6] This estimate was later downsized. [7]
In 2012, it was given the taxonomic name Pliosaurus funkei.
References
- ^ "Monsterdiggers 2008". University of Oslo.
- ^ "Fossil sea monster biggest of its kind". ABC News. February 2, 2008.
- ^ Deshayes, Pierre-Henry (October 11, 2006). "'The Monster' helps piece together puzzle". The Standard. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
- ^ "'Monster' found in Jurassic graveyard". NBC News. October 5, 2006.
- ^ "Enormous Jurassic Sea Predator, Pliosaur, Discovered In Norway". Science Daily. February 9, 2008.
- ^ "Fossil 'makes T-Rex look feeble'", news24.com, 17 March 2009.
- ^ "Paleontologists Reveal the Identity of 'Predator X'". National Geographic Society. 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021.
External links
- Predator X at IMDb
 | This article about a scientific documentary work for radio, television or the internet is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |