Sea Rex 3D: Journey to a Prehistoric World Page #5

in this virtual aquarium,

it is obvious they were

much too small to cross an ocean

as vast as the Atlantic on their own.

The conclusion is inescapable:

if they did not cross the ocean,

then the very continents

that contained their fossils

must have separated.

(SCREECHlNG)

The Jurassic was the age

of giant animals.

The Leedsichthys

is approximately 1 00 feet long,

probably the largest fish

of all time.

What are these

long-necked Plesiosaurs called?

Those are Elasmosaurs.

They're gulping down gastroliths,

stones they swallow

in order to help their digestion.

- What do they actually eat?

- Molluscs and a lot of fish,

judging from their long, sharp teeth.

I believe

that's the male Liopleurodon

that was wounded some time back.

(JULIE) Oh, yes.

With one eye missing, it's not easy.

From the deep bite marks

on Elasmosaur bones

made by larger relatives,

it would appear that

other Liopleurodon were luckier.

30 million years later, Kronosaurus

took Liopleurodons' place

at the top of the marine food chain.

Kronosaurus remains

were first discovered

in Australia during the 1 930s.

A 1 3-foot-long skull

with 1 0-foot jaws,

armed with dagger-like teeth.

To tell us more about Plesiosaurs,

here's Dr Benjamin Kear,

an Australian expert

on these animals.

Marine reptiles' remains have been

found on every continent,

particularly those of Plesiosaurs.

Up to 46 feet in length, they were

magnificent ocean-dwelling reptiles

that flew gracefully through the water

with four massive paddles.

The order Plesiosauria

was large and varied.

It has been broadly divided

into two superfamilies,

based on

their overall body structure.

Some of them, thanks to their large

heads and powerful, short necks,

were the superpredators

of their time, like Kronosaurus.

Others were the complete opposite,

with tiny heads

at the end of extra-long necks,

such as Elasmosaurus.

Plesiosaurs lasted as long

as the dinosaurs,

until the end of the Cretaceous,

65 million years ago.

The Late Cretaceous is the very last

period of the Mesozoic Era,

and it is the age of Mosasaurs.

The land masses of the Earth

have nearly reached

their present positions.

The interior seas

of the Americas retreat

but Europe is still partly covered

by shallow waters.

(JULIE) And what about the climate?

Very comparable to the climate

of today, but warmer.

A beautiful day for a dip in the

Cretaceous ocean, don't you think?

As has been the case

for millions of years,

molluscs are still a favorite meal

for most predators.

So, the Plesiosaurs are still around

in the Cretaceous?

Indeed, there are some.

But they are no longer at the top

of the ocean's food chain,

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