A vast Middle Jurassic ocean scene illuminated by soft green‑blue light as sunlight filters through drifting curtains of plankton. In the foreground, a massive pliosaur glides past, its enormous skull and dense, muscular body dominating the frame. But the composition subtly challenges expectations: beside the giant predator, faint silhouettes of earlier, smaller pliosaurs move through the haze, their proportions noticeably different — narrower skulls, less compact torsos, flippers not yet fully optimized for explosive thrust. Schools of fish swirl in shimmering arcs around them, highlighting the contrast between myth and reality. The scene feels like a visual correction, a quiet revelation that the familiar number doesn’t match the true evolutionary story. Let’s start with the number you’ve probably heard — because it’s wrong.