Today, we know that the Basilosaurus is the first ancient whale humanity has ever found. But back when it was first described, the animal’s huge proportions earned it the name of ‘king lizard’. And although technically incorrect, the name isn’t undeserved; during its day, the Basilosaurus ruled the waters of Tethys with an iron flipper and a really impressive set of teeth.
Basilosaurus isis skeleton at the Nantes History Museum. Image via Wikimedia.
This creature lived 40 to 35 million years ago, during a part of geologic time known as the late Eocene. The dinosaurs were quite well gone by this time, and mammals were well on the way to dominating the planet. The Basilosaurus was also a mammal a whale, no less and could grow up to 60 feet (a bit over 18m) in length. Needless to say, you can’t skip meals and grow so large. But this species likely had no issues getting full, as the Basilosaurus was, by all indications, a formidable apex predator.