Why Did the Mosasaurus Suddenly Become a Star? | The Survival Struggle That Shifted to Modern Media
Introduction
The other day, I happened to stop by a science shop. While in the dinosaur goods section, my eyes landed on a
Kronosaurus figure. It is a creature I loved during my childhood, known as the "Tyrannosaurus of the sea". Overwhelmed by nostalgia, I ended up buying it on impulse.
At that moment, I wondered, "Hasn't the Kronosaurus been a bit overshadowed lately?"
When I was a child, the
strongest creature of the Mesozoic seas was the Kronosaurus, but today that position is undoubtedly held by the Mosasaurus.The Mosasaurus is certainly a magnificent creature, but it should have been a less prominent existence in the past.
When did it become such a huge success?
As astute readers may have noticed, the catalyst was likely "that movie." Looking into it further, the influence of scientific discoveries also becomes apparent.
This time, I would like to change the pace a bit and consider the influence of scientific discoveries and media on the Mosasaurus and the Kronosaurus.
Chapter 1: The Once Unassuming Mosasaurus
The Mosasaurus was a large marine reptile that lived in the seas of the Late Cretaceous period. It is not a member of the dinosaur family, but rather a relative of modern monitor lizards, though it is generally recognized as a type of "sea dinosaur."
While it now enjoys unwavering popularity as the apex predator of the ancient seas, its presence was rather modest in the encyclopedias of the 1990s when I was a child. Although it was a regular in dinosaur encyclopedias, it did not particularly stand out compared to other marine reptiles, and its body length was considered to be about 10 meters at the time. (Old reconstructions are posted in Chapter 3.)
Around that time, it was the Kronosaurus that began to attract attention.
The Kronosaurus was a member of the short-necked plesiosaur family that lived in the seas of the Early Cretaceous period.
(Strictly speaking, this is also not a member of the dinosaur family.)
With a body length of 12 meters, a head length of 3 meters—twice that of a Tyrannosaurus—and a bite force greater than a Tyrannosaurus, it gained popularity as the "Tyrannosaurus of the sea" due to its exceptional specifications and unique form with an unusually large head.
Chapter 2: Scientific Discoveries and Re-evaluation
Things began to change in the early 2000s.
Scientific discoveries and re-evaluations through research occurred for both the Mosasaurus and the Kronosaurus.
・Upgrade of the Mosasaurus Image
The total length of the Mosasaurus was previously considered to be about 10 meters, but views began to emerge that it was over 15 meters based on re-examination of specimens.
Even more important is the discovery of traces of a tail fin. Previously, it was thought to have a long, thin tail like a lizard, but it was revealed that it actually had a well-developed, asymmetrical tail fin.
Including the tail fin, the total length became even longer, and estimates of up to 17 meters began to appear, resulting in a total length nearly twice that of old reconstructions.
Due to these discoveries, the Mosasaurus underwent a dramatic image upgrade from a mere large sea lizard to a fully aquatic super-predator that swims freely through the water like a shark or an orca.
Reconstruction drawings were also significantly updated, and it began to be depicted as having a streamlined form close to modern high-speed swimming creatures.
Although it is an old picture from 1912, it felt close to this in the encyclopedias I saw as a child.
It has a strong lizard or sea snake feel.
With a tail fin, it has a sophisticated and beautiful streamlined form.
・Downgrade of the Kronosaurus Image
On the other hand, the Kronosaurus boasted overwhelming specs that earned it the name "Tyrannosaurus of the sea." However, it was discovered that this was a reconstruction error based on incomplete fossil specimens, and a re-verification was conducted.
As a result, the body length was revised downward from 12m to 9–10.5m, and the head length from 3m to 2–2.5m, and the bite force resulted in a lackluster 20,000–40,000 N compared to the inflated 60,000 N of the Tyrannosaurus.
While it remains true that the Kronosaurus is a huge and powerful creature, compared to the initial vivid image, a "sense of disappointment" is undeniable, and it is not hard to imagine that public attention has decreased.
Chapter 3: The Big Break of the Mosasaurus
And then, in 2015, the movie "Jurassic World" was released.
The Mosasaurus was selected as the star of the water show in the film, and it showed a spectacular performance by jumping out of the water to swallow a shark whole, and leaping from the surface to attack humans and the Indominus Rex.
It is thought that the background of these performances was based on the Mosasaurus image based on scientific evidence that it was huge and had excellent swimming ability.
(Note: Although it is depicted as 20–25 meters long in the film, this is considered to be a cinematic effect.)
This performance gave the general public a
strong impression
that "The Mosasaurus was such an amazing creature!?", and it is thought that it suddenly achieved star status.
If you compare search trends on Google Trends, that tendency is clear.
Blue: Mosasaurus, Red: Kronosaurus
You can see that the number of searches for Mosasaurus surged at the time of the 2015 release of "Jurassic World," marking a big break. Furthermore, its popularity continues to rise with the release of sequels such as "Fallen Kingdom" in 2018 and "Dominion" in 2022, which shows the significant influence of this movie series.
On the other hand, while the Kronosaurus is showing a slight upward trend, it remains largely flat, and it seems that its popularity is limited to old fans and some core segments.
Chapter 4: Signs of a Quiet Comeback for Kronosaurus
While the results of scientific verification for Kronosaurus were disappointing, this is not necessarily all pessimistic. Rather, it can be said that our understanding of its scientifically accurate appearance has advanced. Its unique body shape, with a large head and short torso, is also a charming form born from an evolutionary path different from that of the Mosasaurus. Since 2023, new Kronosaurus figures have appeared from companies like Papo and PNSO, and they have been highly rated on overseas toy review sites, showing
signs of a re-evaluation of Kronosaurus in the model market. The fact that I saw a Kronosaurus model at a science shop was not just a coincidence, but an inevitability linked to market trends.
I pray for the further comeback of the Kronosaurus in the future.
Total length just under 20cm. It has an intensity that looks like it might attack at any moment.
Conclusion
The Mosasaurus was once a plain "sea lizard," but it has attained the position of "apex predator of the ancient seas" through the hands of science and media. Not limited to the Mosasaurus, our understanding and reconstructions of prehistoric life continue to change due to new discoveries and research. Furthermore, the impact of visual media on the public is particularly significant, and it can be said that the modern era is one where
how you present something is directly linked to its popularity. Even if it is somewhat dramatized, if children's excitement and wonder become a gateway to curiosity, it should be welcomed.
In the famous manga One Piece, there is a quote that says, "When do you think people die? ...When they are forgotten!" I think this applies perfectly to extinct creatures like the Mosasaurus. Giant marine reptiles and dinosaurs went extinct in the distant past, but they continue to live on in our minds as concepts. And perhaps they have changed their stage to modern media, where they are carrying out a new struggle for survival.
Aside: An Unexpected Dark Horse
While I was putting this article together, I suddenly thought, "When it comes to ancient sea predators, Megalodon is also popular," so I tried checking the trends for Megalodon. To my surprise, the search volume for Megalodon far exceeded that of the Mosasaurus. Just to be sure, I added Tyrannosaurus to the comparison, and found that since around 2012, Megalodon has even surpassed T-Rex.
Since T-rex had more search volume than Tyrannosaurus, I set T-rex as the keyword
Why is Megalodon so popular?
・Sharks are already popular content in movies and the like.
・It is familiar and easy to imagine as an extension of the Great White Shark.
・There is an urban legend-like element of fun, wondering if it might still be alive somewhere.
I thought of these reasons, but if anyone knows more, please let me know.
The common sense of dinosaur fans like me, that "the royal road of extinct animals = Mesozoic era" (Megalodon is a creature of the Cenozoic era), may be just a small perspective in the wider world. Sharks are truly formidable.
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🆕 This is a follow-up article to the Mosasaurus one 👇️
I also write articles about other scientific questions I have in my daily life. Please take a look.
List of Image Credits
1. Article header image
・AI generated by ChatGPT (DALL·E)
2. Mosasaurus reconstruction (old)
・Title: Mosasaurus ichthyosaurus.jpg
・Author: Heinrich Harder (1858-1935)
・Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosasaurus_ichthyosaurus.jpg
・License: Public Domain
・Modifications: None
3. Mosasaurus reconstruction (new)
・Title: Mosasaurus 21copy.jpg
・Author: Dmitry Bogdanov
・Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnotaurus_Reconstruction_(2022).png
・License: Public Domain
・Modifications: None