Sea's New King: Scientists Name Tylosaurus rex, the Ocean's Apex Predator
Scientists have described Tylosaurus rex, a new mosasaur species that inhabited North America’s inland seas about 80 million years ago. Reaching up to 43 feet in length, it was larger than its close relative Tylosaurus proriger and likely the ocean’s apex predator, with a robust jaw and a scimitar-shaped skull. The species was identified after reclassifying fossils held in more than a dozen museums, including a nearly complete holotype at the Perot Museum in Dallas. The discovery reveals greater mosasaur diversity and shows that sea predators crowned the Cretaceous seas as fearsome as the land-dwelling T. rex was on land.
