Scientists unveil the mystery of most fearsome monster

A team from the University of Oslo uncovered two big pliosaurs, short-necked, large jawed marine reptiles between 2004 and and 2012 on the Arctic island of Svalbard.

Previously the only pliosaur remains found on the island was a section of tail vertebra, so the find was hailed as a major discovery, the Daily Mail reported.

According to Norwegian Journal of Geology, the specimen dubbed Predator X got greater fame, while the other enjoyed five minutes in the spotlight as the Monster.

Paleontologists Espen Knutsen, Patrick Druckenmiller and Jorn Hurum have now named the creatures Pliosaurus funkei, and they admit the remains of both only offer partial views of what this marine apex predator was like alive.

Svalbard's regular freeze-thaw cycles have severely fragmented the fossilised skeletons, the trio reported, and some parts further degraded as they dried them out in the lab.

Efforts to figure out the size of Pliosaurus funkei were complicated by this incomplete nature of the remains, with the paleontologists only able to estimate the size of their specimens based on measurements of other pliosaurs.

Both creatures had originally been estimated at a monstrous 50-feet long - making them the biggest pliosaurs ever found, according to Hurum, professor, when he announced the discovery. The new paper shrinks the beast somewhat.

However, the hype surrounding the reptile with a bite four times more powerful as Tyrannosaurus rex - which spawned a host of excited commentary, documentaries and even a B-movie, overshadowed the facts.