''Predator X'' is a 2009 television special on the cable television channel

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. The show documents the excavation of a giant

pliosaur Pliosauroidea is an extinct clade of plesiosaurs, known from the earliest Jurassic to early Late Cretaceous. They are best known for the subclade Thalassophonea, which contained crocodile-like short-necked forms with large heads and massive toot ...

on an island in the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

Svalbard archipelago. The special follows Dr. Jørn Hurum and a team of paleontologists from the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

as they excavate the site. The specimen — claimed by Hurum at the time to be a new species — had not received a taxonomic classification by the time of the television special and was, therefore, codenamed " Predator X". The team initially called their discovery "The Monster", and the nickname has been used extensively by the media. The initial discovery was made in 2006, as part of a find of dozens of

and plesiosaur specimens. First estimates were of nearly 15 m (49 ft) in length, "The Monster" is the largest pliosaur skeleton ever discovered, considerably larger than ''

Kronosaurus ''Kronosaurus'' ( ; meaning "lizard of Kronos") is a potentially dubious genus of extinct short-necked pliosaur. With an estimated length of , it was among the largest pliosaurs, and is named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos. It ...

''. This estimate was later downsized. In 2012, it was given the taxonomic name ''

Pliosaurus funkei ''Pliosaurus'' (meaning 'more lizard') is an extinct genus of thalassophonean pliosaurid known from the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian stages (Late Jurassic) of Europe and South America. Their diet would have included fish, cephalopods, and marin ...

''.

References

External links

* 2000s American television specials History (American TV channel) original programming Prehistory of the Arctic Documentary films about prehistoric life 2009 television specials {{sci-documentary-stub