So sea monsters are *real* and actual paleontologists are studying one of them

Rachel Sanoff
Updated

So sea monsters are *real* and actual paleontologists are studying one of them

So sea monsters are *real* and actual paleontologists are studying one of them
So sea monsters are *real* and actual paleontologists are studying one of them

The elusive Loch Ness monster of the Scottish Highlands has captivated the imaginations of ~truthseekers~ since the sea monster folklore began over 1,000 years ago.

Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster

While the existence of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, has long been disputed, did you know that, definitively, another real life sea monster lived in Scotland 170 million years ago?!

Photographers flocked to see one of the crown jewels of Scottish fossils unveiled @nationalmuseumsscotland. The fierce predator - known as the #StorrLochsMonster - prowled the oceans 170 million years ago. It was found on #Skye in 1966. A partnership between the University, National Museums Scotland and energy company SSE has enabled the fossil to be extracted from the rock that encased it for millions of years #palaeontology #geosciences #dinosaurs #edinburghuniversity #drawntoedinburgh #loveedinburgh

A photo posted by The University of Edinburgh (@edinburghuniversity) on Sep 6, 2016 at 3:10am PDT

Known as the Storr Lochs Monster, the IRL sea monster is a Scottish ichthyosaur — a dolphin-esque reptile measuring 13-feet-long, complete with large, cone-shaped teeth for feeding on fish and squid, according to National Geographic.

Another, smaller species of ichthyosaur
Another, smaller species of ichthyosaur

Another, smaller species of ichthyosaur

The fossil of the Storr Lochs Monster has actually been housed at the National Museums Scotland for 50 years, after it was discovered in Scotland in 1966. However, it was never displayed for the public because paleontologists couldn’t break through the rock in which the fossil was embedded.

An artistic rendition of ichthyosaur from a 1963 episode of "The Outer Limits."
An artistic rendition of ichthyosaur from a 1963 episode of "The Outer Limits."

An artistic rendition of an ichthyosaur from a 1963 episode of “The Outer Limits.”

But a partnership between University of Edinburgh, National Museums Scotland, and SSE, an energy company in the U.K., has allowed Scottish paleontologists to finally break apart the stone and study the fossil — which also happens to be the most complete ichthyosaur skeleton ever discovered in the country.

Excited about the #StorrLochsMonster being unveiled in Scotland today? Don't forget about our own Warwickshire Ichthyosaur who's almost 200 million years old #seamonster #ichthyosaur #fossil #bones #skeleton #museummonday #birmingham

A photo posted by Thinktank Bham Science Museum (@thinktankmuseum) on Sep 5, 2016 at 6:47am PDT

Paleontologist and lead researcher, Stephen Brusatte, told the National Geographic:

“Although some people think that sea monsters live here today in our lakes… there were actually real ones that lived here over a hundred million years ago.”

And Brusatte connected the Storr Lochs Monster to other prehistoric creatures in a statement to the Washington Post:

“On land, the tyrannosaurs were getting their start, and it’s probably when the first birds were flying around, and in the ocean you had this big turnover event when smaller marine animals were replaced by bigger ones.”

Plus, while it will take more research to confirm the possibility, it is likely that the fossil is the remnants of an entirely new species of ichthyosaur.

Monsters are real, y’all, and they are so cool.

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