Mississippi State University scientists have discovered a massive bone belonging to a marine reptile that has been extinct for millions of years. The mosasaur vertebra, which was unearthed near Starkville, is potentially the largest ever found in the state. The bone was found during a geologic survey intended to create a three-dimensional map of the region바카라 게임 웹사이트�s subsurface. MSU doctoral researchers Jonathan Leard and Tim Palmer, both professional geologists with the Mississippi Geological Survey, identified and recovered the fossil while working with James Starnes, director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality바카라 게임 웹사이트�s geological division.Leard and Palmer, who are pursuing doctoral degrees in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at MSU while working full-time, discovered the vertebra after uncovering fossilized marine shells in the muddy sediment."When we found the fossil, only the ball was exposed," Leard said. "It alone was the size of a baseball. I carefully dug the marl away from around the weathered vertebral processes and pulled it out of the ground. Our hearts were racing as we passed it around in disbelief at the size. We could not wait to get back to the Museum of Natural Science in Jackson to confirm the fossil was indeed 'mosasaur' by comparing it to other specimens in the collection."The vertebra, measuring more than 7 inches across, belonged to Mosasaurus hoffmannii, one of the largest marine reptiles from about 66 million years ago. Researchers estimate the creature would have been at least 30 feet long. A mosasaur is similar to a crocodile, with a long tail, paddle-like limbs, and powerful jaws, but the size of a school bus and the hunting instincts of an orca.The fossil was confirmed to be M. hoffmannii at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Mosasaurs thrived near the end of the Cretaceous period in the warm, shallow sea that covered Mississippi, an ecosystem rich with marine predators, sharks, and flying reptiles.