The mysteries surrounding Jormungandr Walhallaensis deepen with evidence of teeth marks on some of its vertebrae, marks that appear unhealed. Its teeth offer tantalizing clues about its diet and lifestyle, suggesting that it hunted fish and smaller marine creatures as it prowled the waters of the Western Interior Seaway. This vast body of water split North America in half during the late Cretaceous Period, offering an expansive realm for this ancient predator to explore. In contrast, Jormungandr Walhallaensis likely measured a comparatively modest 18 to 24 feet. ![]() Some species of mosasaurs grew to awe-inspiring lengths, reaching up to 60 feet in size, making them formidable apex predators of their time. Mosasaurs, these colossal marine reptiles, resemble giant lizards with flipper-like limbs, a testament to their remarkable adaptation to a life in the ocean. These unexpected findings led the scientists to deduce that they had stumbled upon a creature previously unknown to science, a mysterious denizen of ancient seas. The revelation stems from the unearthing of a fossilized skull and jaw in North Dakota in 2015, bearing distinct and puzzling features that confounded researchers. The second part of it's name comes from the small North Dakota town of Walhalla, which also echoes Scandinavian heritage in reference to the Norse afterlife Valhalla. ![]() The newly discovered creature gets the first part of it's name from Norse mythology, after the monstrous sea serpent known as Jormungandr, which coiled itself around the world's vast waters, a symbol of primordial chaos.
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