Was Doris a ferocious predator? How do we know? Investigate the clues to find out...
Evidence
Bite force
How mighty was Doris’ bite?
N = Newtons
Bite force meter:
You 749 N
Lion 4,169 N
Allosaurus 8,724 N
Saltwater Crocodile 16,414 N
Great white shark 18,216 N
Pliosaurus 48,728 N
Trex 57,158 N
Winner Megalodon 182,201 N
If an elephant sat on you, this is the same force as a Pliosaurus’ bite. Ouch! Doris the Pliosaurus had one of the strongest bites ever recorded. The great white shark has the strongest bite of any animal living today and Pliosaurus’ bite was 2.7 times the force of a great white shark bite.
Teeth
Doris’ teeth were her toolkit for eating. What clues do they give you about her favourite type of food?
Pliosaurus
Crocodile
Gharial
False killer whale
Tiger shark
Fossil food
Which creatures have been discovered inside pliosaur fossils?
Turtle
This is a fossil of a turtle rib. Fossils of this creature were found inside a pliosaur in Australia: Kronosaurus queenslandicus
Cf657 – Turtle fossil
Dinosaur
This piece of dinosaur armour was found inside a pliosaur on display in the Sea Dragons Gallery.
Cc332j – Dinosaur scute
Belemnite
Hooks from the tentacles of this creature have been found inside quite a few pliosaurs!
Ca5240 – Squid-like Belemnotheutis
Fossil poo 💩
Fossil poo can give you a clue to what extinct animals ate. It's tricky to tell whose poo this is.
What do you call a palaeontologist who studies fossil poo?
A ‘poo’-laeontologist!