New Evidence for a Ichthyosaur-Eating Giant Prehistoric Kraken

http://img.ibtimes.com/www/articles/20111012/229497_mythical-kraken-kraken-prehistoric-oceans-ichthyosaur-bones-charles-lewis-camp.htm .

http://news.discovery.com/earth/smokin-kraken-111011.html

Summary:

- There is no direct evidence of the mythical creatures as they are soft-bodied and it is hard to present a firm case of existence of for them

- Nine 45 ft long ichthyosaurs may have been preyed on by a huge kraken and their bones were found in a collective (possible) larder.

- It was iniitally theorized that the arrangement of the Icthy bones suggested a group death by stranding in shallow water or as the result of exposure to a toxic plankton bloom. However, the most recent survey of the region suggests it was actually a deep water environment. Also, the etching on the bones of the animals suggested they were not all killed and buried at the same time.

- New evidence of the placement and sucker markings on bones may show the were drowned or had their necks snapped by a Kraken-like creature. They also seemed to be purposefully rearranged as modern cephalods do..

- But there is contradictory evidence too: the arrangement of the bones is an over-interpretation; the sucker patterns aren't really there as they are part of the ichy's vertebrae discs.

Bottom line: we don't know if ture or not, but it would be might cool if it was. markf

Looks like a vast over-interpretation to me.

I don't see any evidence of 'sucker-marks' on the bones, just an unusual thanatocoenosis where some of the vertebræ have coincidentally ended up in a configuration that resembles the layout of suckers on a cephalopod's arm. McMenamin seems to be taking the line that "Only giant cephalopods could have arranged vertebræ like this!"

Pity, but that's Real Life for you.

{Edit to add}

I've just noticed that Ars Technica has a good article on this over-hyped report.