All articles tagged with #marine reptiles
A study in Current Biology indicates that certain Cretaceous mosasaurs, such as Tylosaurus, utilized a 'slam start' technique to accelerate to 15 mph for ambushes, while others like Plotosaurus favored sustained swimming speeds.
Paleontologists reclassified twelve fossil specimens as Tylosaurus rex, a 43-foot, 3–4-ton marine reptile that ruled the ancient seas about 80–84 million years ago, distinct from the smaller Tylosaurus proriger by its serrated teeth and other features. The find, including the famous 'The Black Knight' skeleton now at Dallas's Perot Museum, comes from fossils in Texas and Kansas and could reshape how scientists understand early marine reptile evolution; the study was published May 21, 2026 in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
A new study describes a fearsome marine reptile from the dinosaur era as the ocean’s top predator, likening it to the T. rex in size and ferocity based on fossil evidence.
Scientists examining a Polycotylus fossil in Alabama found an 80-million-year-old Xiphactinus tooth embedded in its neck, revealed by CT scans and 3D modeling; the bite appears to be a direct strike, not a feeding trace, showing a deadly predator clash in the Western Interior Seaway and challenging simple ideas about top predators.
A 183-million-year-old plesiosaur fossil (MH7) preserved skin showing a smooth tail and small scales along the rear edges of the flippers, offering rare soft-tissue insights that help reconstruct these sea predators and infer swimming adaptations; soft-tissue preservation is exceptionally rare, with only a handful of plesiosaurs known to have such specimens.
A 68-million-year-old soft-shelled fossil egg, nicknamed 'The Thing', was discovered in Antarctica, revealing that large marine reptiles like mosasaurs laid eggs in water, challenging previous beliefs that they gave birth to live young. The egg's size and structure suggest a reproductive strategy involving soft shells and quick hatching, with the fossil providing insights into ancient marine life and reproductive behaviors near the poles.
A 68-million-year-old soft-shelled fossil egg, nicknamed 'The Thing,' was discovered in Antarctica, revealing that large marine reptiles like mosasaurs laid eggs in water, challenging previous beliefs that such reptiles gave birth to live young. The egg, the largest soft-shelled egg found, suggests a reproductive strategy involving quick hatching in sheltered waters, and its preservation provides insights into ancient life near the poles.
A new species of marine reptile called Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or 'sword dragon,' was discovered along England's Jurassic Coast, providing valuable insights into ichthyosaur evolution and Jurassic marine ecosystems during the Early Jurassic period.
Researchers have identified over 50 coelacanth fossils from the British Triassic period, dating back around 200 million years, revealing a complex community of these 'living fossil' fish that had been misidentified or overlooked in museum collections for over 150 years.
The largest eggs of any animal were laid by the extinct elephant bird Aepyornis maximus, weighing up to 1,000 kg, with fossil evidence suggesting even larger eggs from marine reptiles like mosasaurs. Currently, ostrich eggs are the largest among living birds, weighing about 2.6 kg. The article explores various giant eggs from extinct species and their significance in understanding animal evolution.
A nearly 50-year-old fossil from Germany has been reclassified as a new genus and species, Plesionectes longicollum, a Jurassic marine reptile with an exceptionally long neck, revealing new insights into plesiosaur evolution and adaptation during a period of significant oceanic change.
A nearly complete fossil of a previously unknown Jurassic sea monster, Plesionectes longicollum, was discovered in Germany, revealing new insights into marine reptile diversity during the Early Jurassic period and highlighting the impact of environmental changes on marine ecosystems.
A groundbreaking discovery of the first soft tissue fossil of a giant ichthyosaur from 183 million years ago reveals new features like chondroderms, which suggest the ichthyosaur was a stealthy, apex predator. This find challenges previous understanding of these marine reptiles, offering insights into their hunting strategies, evolution, and ecological role in the Jurassic seas.
A groundbreaking 183-million-year-old fossil of an ichthyosaur's flipper reveals new features called chondroderms, suggesting these marine reptiles were silent, stealthy hunters capable of ambushing prey, which could revolutionize our understanding of their biology and evolution.
A 68-million-year-old soft-shelled egg, nicknamed 'The Thing,' was discovered in Antarctica, challenging previous beliefs about marine reptile reproduction by suggesting mosasaurs may have laid eggs in water, and providing new insights into the evolution of reptile eggs.