The Chinese Godzilla

September 25th, 2004

[From Reuters]

A long-necked sea reptile that lived millions of years ago in what is now China may have used its stiff neck to sneak up on unsuspecting prey and suck them in, scientists said on Friday.

Dubbed Dinocephalosaurus orientalis or “terrible-headed lizard from the Orient,” the monster had a neck 5.5 feet long, topped by a tiny head. At the other end was its big round body.

It may have been able to sidle up its small head to a fish or squid and devour the unwitting prey before the body hove into view, the researchers report in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.