Watch a four minute QuickTime video about Sea Monsters at the University of Kansas.
Larry Martin, professor and curator at the KU Natural History Museum, provided advice about the swimming bird Hesperornis for the film “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure.”
The ancient seas were full of microscopic life as well as enormous bony fish and sharks.
By studying the bones of a specimen, researchers can reconstruct the physical appearance and movement of animals such as Hesperornis, a toothed swimming bird of the Cretaceous era.
The fossilized remains of mosasaurs have been found in Western Kansas.
Gigantic sea turtles lived during the Cretaceous period along with other marine reptiles. Some of them had shells that reached up to 12 feet in diameter.
The sharp teeth of a plesiosaur helped it grab prey such as squid, fish and birds.
Plesiosaurs had webbed paddles that helped them move through the water.
Mosasaurs lived in shallow, saltwater oceans between 144 and 65 million years ago. There was an inland sea that covered North America, including the western portion of what is now Kansas.
For every tooth a pesiosaur lost, a new one grew in its place.
The Styxosaurus, a long-necked plesiosaur, had a neck that could grow to 20 feet in length.
This hind limb of an ancient sea turtle was found in Logan County, KS.
A broad tail and streamlined body made the bony fish Xiphactinus a speedy hunter.
Despite their size and reputation as the "T. rex of the Sea," not even mosasaurs were safe from attack from other mosasaurs, sharks and giant squid.
Plesiosaurs flew through the water using their four paddles, much like modern sea turtles.
Ancient cephalopods such as the ammonite (on the right) propelled themselves using jets of water.
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LAWRENCE - It's well known that dinosaurs ruled the land 100 million years ago. But many people are unacquainted with the enormous reptiles, toothy fish and sharks that dominated the inland sea that covered what now is Kansas.
At the University of Kansas and across the nation, these fierce undersea creatures are receiving renewed attention, thanks to a National Geographic Society film with ties to KU and Kansas.
Kansas is the ideal place to base a film about the discoveries of ancient marine animals.
- Larry Martin
“Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” weaves together a marine fossil mystery with breathtaking animated sequences that bring Kansas' ancient sea animals to life. The 3-D film premieres at IMAX, REAL-D and other specialty theaters in Kansas City, Mo., and nationwide Oct. 5.
Larry Martin, professor and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the KU Natural History Museum, consulted with filmmakers on aspects of the animation.
“Kansas is the ideal place to base a film about the discoveries of ancient marine animals,” Martin said. “The state has one of the richest fossil records from the Cretaceous era, which spanned from about 140 million to 65 million years ago.”
The film follows a family of Dolichorhynchops, known informally as “Dollies,” as they encounter marine animals such as Platecarpus, which swallowed their prey whole like snakes; the long-necked plesiosaur, Styxosaurus; and the enormous Tylosaurus.
The film also puts a spotlight on Hesperornis, a prehistoric swimming bird with teeth.
Martin studied early versions of the animated sequences of Hesperornis and lent the film's producers his expertise to make these segments true to the way the creature likely moved. He has more than 40 years of experience studying the bird.
Amid its vast research collection of marine life specimens, KU has the world's largest collection of Hesperornis fossil remains.
The KU Natural History Museum contains a treasure trove of example specimens of animals shown in the new film, including the Styxosaurus, the toothy-mouthed Xiphactinus, and a Tylosaurus discovered by a KU researcher in 1911. A cast of that specimen - one of the largest ever found - lurks over the lobby of the museum and will be enhanced by new exhibit materials by Oct. 21.
Tony Award-winning actor Liev Schreiber narrated the film; Richard Evans, David Rhodes and Peter Gabriel composed an original score. For more information about the motion picture, tickets, showtimes and educational activities, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters.
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