‘Snakey crocodile-face’: New prehistoric sea monster discovered in Wyoming

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WXIN) — Researchers have discovered a new type of prehistoric sea creature whose name translates to “snakey crocodile-face.”

A team led by College of Charleston geology professor Scott Persons is behind the discovery of the Serpentisuchops, described as a “beast that swam the seas while dinosaurs walked the earth 70 million years ago.” It belongs in the group of animals known as plesiosaurs.

This creature is unusual for Plesiosaurs because it has a long serpentine neck with long, crocodile-like jaws.

Serpentisuchops, whose name literally translates to “snakey crocodile-face,” has both a long serpentine neck and long crocodile-like jaws. (College of Charleston).

Scott Persons, College of Charleston Geology Professor (College of Charleston).

“When I was a student,” said Persons, “I was taught that all late-evolving plesiosaurs fall into one of two anatomical categories: those with really long necks and tiny heads, and those with short necks and really long jaws. Well, our new animal totally confounds those categories.”

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The remains Serpentisuchops were found in eastern Wyoming with the skeleton of the creature’s lengthy neck perfectly preserved.

“The neck vertebrae just kept going,” said Persons. “For comparison, your own neck has a mere seven vertebrae. Serpentisuchops has thirty-two.”

Researchers say the “extraordinary preservation” was due to the specimen sinking to the seafloor and remaining buried by fine-grained sediments until its discovery 70 million years later.

The new findings suggest that the older plesiosaur genera should be reassessed so that the necks aren’t too small.

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