Thursday, 29 May 2014

Latest discoveries sound like something from a horror movie.



Mega-croc vs supersnake: Researchers reveal 16-foot, 900-pound ancient species of crocodile that battled with 58 foot Titanoboa snake 60 million years ago
By Mark Prigg
Researchers have revealed a 16-foot, 900-pound ancient species of crocodile that battle with 58 foot long snakes that swam in the same rivers as Titanoboa 60 million years ago in the world’s oldest-known rain forest.The terrifying reptile, which has an unusually blunt snout, had an incredibly strong bite, the researchers say.The claim the discovery sheds new light on the diversity of early rainforests, and how adaptable crocodiles are. The new species in the dyrosaurids family, lived alongside the 58-foot Titanoboa as portrayed in the Smithsonian Channel documentary on the 'monster snake.' Scientists assigned the species’ name, Anthracosuchus balrogus, in a study appearing online today in the journal Historical Biology.


The incredible sea slugs discovered living in Strangford Lough
By Linda Stewart –
Up to seven species of sea slug new to science could have been found in Strangford Lough. Fifteen divers who searched the lough last week have found more than 60 species of sea slug, including two that have never been found there before.Among the finds on the 'Nudibranch Safari' were seven sea slugs that will undergo testing to find if they are new, unnamed species.Seaslugs are predators and some are capable of taking on the defences of their prey, such as poisonous chemicals and stings, to use in their bodies to fend off attackers.One slug takes the green parts of seaweed into its skin so it becomes photosynthetic.

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