Saudi scientists unearth bones of enormous 80-million-year-old lizard in Red Sea

Findings are first record of marine life from Paleogene period found in area

Findings by SGS paleontologists on the Red Sea coast include the bones of an giant lizard. Photo: Red Sea Development Company

Scientists from the Saudi Geological Survey found bones of an enormous marine lizard more than 80 million years old after a 10-day dig in a Red Sea coastal region.

The findings represent the first record of marine life from the Paleogene period to be found in the area.

The excavation along the Red Sea coast unearthed samples spanning from the late Cretaceous period to the Eocene period — about 45 million to 80 million years ago, a statement by the Red Sea Development Company said on Tuesday.

About half of the sites surveyed produced rare fossils, with researchers expecting to discover many more on later digs.

Saudi Geological Survey palaeontologists unearthed various samples spanning from the late Cretaceous period to the Eocene period. Photo: Red Sea Development Company

Scientists also found fossilised remains of sea cows, crocodiles and turtles, as well as bones of mosasaurs, a family of giant marine lizards commonly referred to as The T-Rex of the Sea that lived between 66 million and 80 million years ago. They could grow up to 18 metres in length and 14 tonnes in weight.

The team recorded some marine vertebrates for the first time in the area — including remains of one of the largest turtles to have inhabited the region, the statement said.

These findings come in addition to an earlier discovery of a partial plesiosaur skull at the site.

Scientists said the latest revelations prove that 16 million to 20 million years ago the Red Sea's was 200 metres deeper than it is today.

Seawater is thought to have reached as far as 100 kilometres inland from the shoreline today.

In addition to paleontological findings, researchers identified signs of prehistoric human activity among the rocks of the crystalline basement at The Red Sea Project.

About half of the sites surveyed produced rare fossils. Photo: The Red Sea Development Company

These signs were in the form of rock art thought to be petroglyphs produced by an as yet yet unidentified civilisation.

Abdullah Shamrani, chief executive of the Saudi Geological Survey, said: “The rare finds from the central coastal areas of the Red Sea tell fascinating stories about the evolution of life in the region over the past tens of millions of years.”

The Red Sea Project is set to welcome its first guests by the beginning of next year, when the first hotels will open. Phase one, which comprises 16 hotels, will be complete by the end of 2023.

Upon completion in 2030, the Red Sea Project will comprise 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.

The destination will also include an international airport, luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment and leisure facilities.