Scientists Stunned After Finding Fossil of Giant ‘Sea Dragon’ Protruding From Mississippi Stream Bed

Be it scientists or normal people, ancient creatures have always fascinated us all equally. The mere idea of humongous, prehistoric reptiles that loitered the seas millions of years ago nudges us to imagine huge, sea-bound monsters, often referred to as ‘sea dragons.’ Recently, a stellar fossil find has shaken the scientific community. The discovery took place in Mississippi, where researchers found a shocking thing related to these giants, as per Live Science.

Researchers found a fossilized vertebra protruding from the riverbed near Starkville. It is speculated that the fossil belongs to a mosasaur, a giant marine reptile that ruled the oceans during the Cretaceous period, roughly 70 million years ago. James Starnes, a geologist with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, found the vertebra on April 15, 2025. He remarked, "I immediately knew what it was, but was completely awe struck by its size…The feeling you get when you find a fossil, even as a professional, never gets old. But when you find something you have never seen before, the elation can be overwhelming," as per Live Science. This particular vertebra, measuring more than 7 inches wide, indicates that the creature it belonged to could have been over 30 feet long.

Starnes noted, "It may represent the largest…The lumbar vertebra we found is a good indicator to the relative size of the animal. This is the biggest one that I have ever encountered," as per Live Science. The creature, likely a Mosasaurus hoffmanni, was an apex predator of its time, with huge jaws and sharp, conical teeth designed to catch and consume different variety of prey, from fish to sharks to even other marine reptiles present back then. During the late Cretaceous, Mississippi was submerged by a warm tropical sea, teeming with flourishing conditions for such a mighty predator. However, the full extent of the creature’s size is still not known, leaving researchers to speculate.

While the discovery in Mississippi has left researchers stunned, another equally stunning find occurred on the other side of the Atlantic, in the United Kingdom. In February 2021, a well-preserved ichthyosaur fossil was discovered at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in central England, a discovery labeled as the ‘discovery of a lifetime’ by experts. Joe Davis, a member of the water conservation team, stumbled upon the fossil during a routine draining of the reservoir. One must be shocked to know that it was not recognized at first; they assumed that these were mere clay pipes. However, later, it turned out to be the vertebrae of a humongous marine reptile, with a jawbone at the spine's end, according to CBS News. Moreover, an interesting point to note is that it was 33 feet long and dates back almost 180 million years. And this stunning specimen is the largest ichthyosaur ever found in Britain.

Davis said, "We couldn't quite believe it…The find has been absolutely fascinating and a real career highlight. It's great to learn so much from the discovery and to think that this amazing creature was once swimming in seas above us," as per CBS News. Together, these two glorious discoveries, one from the waters of Mississippi, the other from a reservoir in England, emphasize the enduring glimmer of the "sea dragons" that once ruled our planet's oceans.