1 oz (31.10 g) silver coin Liopleurodon, Congo 2022

The eighth issue of the Series Prehistoric Life from the Congo is dedicated to the Liopleurodon. The motive of the premium bullion coin, struck from one ounce of 999.9 pure silver, features a Liopleurodon underwater while hunting for prey. Above the sea-dwelling sauropterygian are the inscriptions PREHISTORIC LIFE, LIOPLEURODON, 166 - 163.5 MIO YEARS BC and the year of issue 2022.
The reverse features the coat of arms of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Liopleurodon belongs to the genus of pliosaurs from the Middle to Upper Jurassic period and lived in Europe and South America. It could reach an average length of 12 meters and is thus considered the largest scientifically described pliosaur. According to researchers, their powerful jaws and strong teeth indicate that they fed less on fish and more on larger prey such as other marine reptiles. As a result, they were probably among the apex predators of their time. The first evidence of the species was discovered in 1873 by Henri-Émile Sauvage from a single tooth near Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. The limited premium bullion coin is delivered in a protective capsule.