Evidence of a giant sea monster, the mythological Kraken – twice as big as a colossal squid – has been discovered.

One of the sea’s top ancient sea predators may have been found -  a school bus-size ichthyosaurs with fearsome teeth.

The kraken, typically over 100 feet  long, or twice the size of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis, most likely drowned or broke the necks of the ichthyosaurs before dragging the corpses to its lair, akin to an octopus’s midden, according to study researcher Mark McMenamin, a paleontologist at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

There is no direct evidence for the beast, though McMenamin suggests that’s because it was soft-bodied and didn’t stand the test of time; even so, to make a firm case for its existence one would want to find more direct evidence.

McMenamin presented his work Monday (Oct. 10) at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis.

Evidence for the kraken and its gruesome attacks comes from markings on the bones of the remains of nine 45-foot ichthyosaurs of the species Shonisaurus popularis, which lived during the Triassic, a period that lasted from 248 million to 206 million years ago. The beasts were the Triassic version of today’s predatory giant squid-eating sperm whales,

McMenamin was interested in solving a long-standing puzzle over the cause of death of the S. popularis individuals at the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park in Nevada. An expert on the site, Charles Lewis Camp of U.C. Berkeley, suggested in the 1950s that the ichthyosaurs succumbed to an accidental stranding or a toxic plankton bloom. However, nobody has been able to prove the beasts died in shallow water, with more recent work on the rocks around the fossils by Jennifer Hogler, then at the University of California Museum of Paleontoloy, suggesting they died in a deepwater environment.

“I was aware that anytime there is controversy about depth, there is probably something interesting going on,” McMenamin said. And when he and his daughter arrived at the park, they were struck by the remains’ strangeness, particularly “a very odd configuration of bones.”

The etching on the bones suggested the shonisaurs were not all killed and buried at the same time, he said. It also looked like the bones had been purposefully rearranged, likely carried to the “kraken’s lair” after they had been killed. A similar behavior has been seen in modern octupus.

The markings and rearrangement of the S. popularis bones suggests an octopus-like creature (like a kraken) either drowned the ichthyosaurs or broke their necks, according to McMenamin.

The arranged vertebrae also seemed to resemble the pattern of sucker disks on a cephalopod’s tentacle, with each vertebra strongly resembling a sucker made by a member of the Coleoidea, which includes octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and their relatives. The researchers suggest this pattern reveals a self-portrait of the mysterious beast.

The perfect crime?

Next, McMenamin wondered if an octopus-like creature could realistically have taken out the huge swimming predatory reptiles. Evidence is in their favor, it seems. Video taken by staff at the Seattle Aquarium showed that a large octopus in one of their large tanks had been killing the sharks. [On the Brink: A Gallery of Wild Sharks]

“We think that this cephalopod in the Triassic was doing the same thing,” McMenamin said. More supporting evidence: There were many more broken ribs seen in the shonisaur fossils than would seem accidental, as well as evidence of twisted necks.

“It was either drowning them or breaking their necks,” McMenamin said.

So where did this kraken go? Since octopuses are mostly soft-bodied they don’t fossilize well and scientists wouldn’t expect to find their remains from so long ago. Only their beaks, or mouthparts, are hard and the chances of those being preserved nearby are very low, according to the researchers.

With such circumstanial evidence of “the crime,” McMenamin expects his interpretation will draw skeptics. And, in fact, it has. Brian Switek, a research associate at the New Jersey State Museum,  is extremely skeptical, writing, “The McMenamins’ entire case is based on peculiar inferences about the site. It is a case of reading the scattered bones as if they were tea leaves able to tell someone’s fortune. Rather than being distributed through the bonebed by natural processes related to decay and preservation, the McMenamins argue that the Shonisaurus bones were intentionally arrayed in a ‘midden’ by a huge cephalopod nearly 100 feet long” (McMenamin worked with his wife, Dianna Schulte McMenamin on the study.)

As for how McMenamin would respond to critics: “We’re ready for this.  We have a very good case.”

Jeanna Bryner | LiveScience.com

LAKE WINDERMERE, UK – Britain now has its own Loch Ness Monster!

There’s a Loch Ness monster in England.  They’re calling it English Nessie!

Two kayakers, Tom Pickles and Sarah Mustard, who’d taken their watercraft out on the foggy waters of Lake Windermere, only to encounter what appeared to be “an enormous snake” swimming by.

“It was petrifying and we paddled back to the shore straight away. At first I thought it was a dog and then saw it was much bigger and moving really quickly at about 10 mph,” said the 24-year-old Pickles. “Each hump was moving in a rippling motion and it was swimming fast. Its skin was like a seal’s but its shape was completely abnormal—it’s not like any animal I’ve ever seen before.”

But what did Pickles and Mustard expect? Didn’t they know that Lake Windermere is reputedly the home of the British version of the Loch Ness monster? In the past five years, sojourners on the lake have reported ten sightings of a Nessielie serpent.

But the kayaking couple rallied from their shock and snapped the clearest photo of the Windermere “monster” since the sightings began. A journalism professor and his wife inaugurated the recent spate of Nessie-esque encounters on the lake back in 2006 reporting they had seen a “giant eel” somewhere between 15-20 feet long.

Ever since then, researchers have set out upon the lake with sonar equipment , in pursuit of “Bow-Nessie,” as the creature’s British compatriots like to call it. But so far, their efforts haven’t borne fruit.

Of course, people in Scotland have reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster since 1933, and even with dramatic advance sonar and video technology, Loch Ness research teams have likewise been unable to turn up any credible scientific evidence of its existence. Even its most noted hunter, Robert Rines, recently gave up his quest to find the beast after trying for nearly 40 years. “Unfortunately, I’m running out of age,” the 85 year-old Rines said last year  when he announced he was calling it quits.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Winfield, a lake ecologist at the University of Lancaster, told The Sun he thinks the mysterious appartition people are seeing in Lake Windermere is merely a really big catfish.  But all of this speculation overlooks the central mystery in the latest sighting: Why on earth would a couple go kayaking on an English lake in the middle of February?

NEW YORK, NY – Sports Illustrated’s annual Swimsuit Issue hit the stands recently, and one of the photographs revealed more than anyone expected.  In the background of several shots of cover model Bar Rafaeli a sea monster can clearly be seen.

Currently famous for being Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend, Rafaeli can now expect to be a super-celebrity among conspiracy theorists and crypto-zoologists.

When asked about the background of the shots, Sports Illustrated representative Miles O’Rourke says “The image in the background of the shots is completely unintentional.  We did not put the creature there and we are not trying to make any point by including it in our publication.  Sports Illustrated currently has no stance on the cryptid issue.”  When asked how the image slipped by their editors he continued “Honestly, no one was looking at the background in those photos.”

Sports Illustrated subscriptions have skyrocketed in the last few hours.  The magazine is reaching a whole new untapped customer base, one that has no interest or talent for sports whatsoever but an undying passion for the truth.  In the past 6 hours sales have gone up 438% to addresses that end with “my parent’s basement.”  Representatives remain tight lipped as to whether they will appeal to their new base by including more cryptids in future issues.

When approached for comment about her newfound celebrity among cryptid enthusiasts, Mrs. Rafaeli used Krav Maga to illustrate her refusal to comment by putting one reporter in a choke hold and sending the other two running.

NEAR GUAM – After Google developers introduced the new branch of Google Earth, users discovered a never before seen sea monster lurking in the images!

Released this week, the Google Ocean extension invites users to explore the oceans of our planet, with features like videos of top marine experts, travel tips and virtual tours. The feature also allows users to “dive” underwater and discover the depths of the ocean floor.

Late last night, Barney Stiles of Billings, Montana was using the program to explore the Mariana Trench when he caught sight of the creature. He quickly captured the image seen above and posted it to Google Earth’s Community message boards. “I couldn’t believe my eyes!”, he told Weekly World News in an exclusive interview. “It was a real-life sea monster!’

Google representatives stated, “We have triple-checked Mr. Stiles’ image and are convinced it is not a forgery. We are baffled but happy to announce that our technology has discovered a new species.”

Hesitant to use the word “monster”, Google is working with ocean expert Sylvia Earle on a plan to find and identify the creature. Earle explained, “I believe it may be a prehistoric eel species, a living fossil if you will, dating back to pre-historic times. Its size is truly remarkable!”

Cryptid experts believe this creature may be responsible for the famous Mariana Trench 2003 survey, when a deep-sea robotic probe disappeared without a trace. The only item recovered was the lines connecting the probe to the ship, which appeared to be viciously chewed through.  Google has not yet announced if they will be taking extra precautions for their exploration.

NEW YORK, NY – Following three years of repair, the USS Intrepid’s return to Manhattan was greeted by the Tri-State Area’s only known Kraken.

The decommissioned WWII battleship returns to its dock, reopening the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. Spectators were delighted as the Battleship approached the city, and even more surprised when Grakkle the Kraken emerged in dramatic fashion sending waves crashing over the Intrepid.

Executive Director of the Intrepid Museum, Susan Marenoff commented, “It was such a pleasure to have Grakkle rise in honor of the Intrepid’s return. We had no idea he was in the area, or a fan of the museum. We’re hoping to have him participate in an upcoming exhibition on the role of US Warships in the Kraken-Great Squid Battle of 1948.”

Viewers were treated to a nautical display not seen in recent decades. While Grakkle was once a common site along the coast of Manhattan, Coney Island, and the Long Island Sound, he been much more reclusive as of late.

“I was delighted to see two of New York City’s treasures together,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters, “but my fear is that the rise of Grakkle is a portent for something brewing under the waters of New York. We really cannot afford another Kraken outlash against our trade ships. Not in this economy.”