Sea Monster gets Name: Ancient Giant Sea Creature 'Predator X' Officially Dubbed New Species, Pliosaurus Funkei

The mysterious, ancient sea monster (referred to as Predator X) that supposedly roamed the seas over 150 million years ago has finally been dubbed an official name. Researchers confirm that this unique and giant sea creature Pliosaurus funkei is a totally new species - one with a bite four times as powerful as the vicious land carnivore/dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex.

According to the study's co-author and paleontologist Patrick Drunckenmiller, the Predator X species (which typically spanned about 40 feet and had a massive 6.5-foot-long skull), "[was] the top predator of the sea. [It] had teeth that would have made a T. rex whimper."

In 2006, scientists unearthed two massive pliosaur skeletons in Svalbard, Norway - these findings looked slightly different from other pliosaur (an extinct clade of marine reptiles) skeletons found throughout England and France during the 19th-20th centuries.  After meticulous research and analysis of the newly discovered jaw, vertebrae, and forelimbs, scientists revealed the new ancient Jurassic-era ocean predator species Predator X.

What makes Predator X different from other pliosaur species is that it is larger and more predator-like - it has longer front paddles, different vertebrae shape, and different spacing of teeth within the jaw. Research shows Predator X also fed on other plesiosaurs, which were long-necked, small-headed reptiles.

According to Druckenmiller, "It's not just that we found a new species, we've been discovering a whole ecosystem." Study co-author Jorn Hurum agrees, stating in an email sent to CBS News that such Predator X fossils suggest an ancient Arctic sea swarming with terrifying predators and invertebrate fauna.