Remains of Jurassic sea predators found in Chile's Atacama desert

Scientists have unearthed the remains of Jurassic sea predators “ecologically similar” to killer whales in the world’s driest desert in Chile, the Atacama desert.

According to researchers from the University of Chile, Pliosaurs were reptiles from about 160 million years ago with a more powerful bite than Tyrannosaurus rex. The creatures’ jaw, tooth and limb fragments were found and the complete fossil is likely to measure 6-7 metres.

The fossil is the second oldest record of this species in the Southern Hemisphere. The study was published in early September in the South American Earth Science Journal.