All articles tagged with #mosasaur
A fossilized Late Cretaceous egg found in Antarctica is the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered and the second-largest egg of any non-avian dinosaur. Named Antarcticoolithus bradyi, the egg likely came from a mosasaur, suggesting these marine reptiles could lay very large eggs and may have been viviparous, though the exact parent species remains uncertain. The egg’s preservation in anoxic sediments helped keep its leathery shell intact.
Researchers reexamining a rock specimen from Osaka collected in 1990–1992 uncovered four fossil bones that may belong to an undiscovered mosasaur. The find includes a confirmed premaxilla—the first mosasaur premaxilla identified in Japan—and unusual basisphenoid features that could indicate a new species, though confirmation requires further study. The case highlights how museum collections can reveal new insights with advancing techniques.
Paleontologists have identified Tylosaurus rex as a distinct, giant mosasaur—about 13 meters long with serrated teeth and powerful jaws—living roughly 80 million years ago in the Western Interior Seaway; it was the sea’s equivalent of Tyrannosaurus rex in size and ferocity.
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.
A Perot Museum mosasaur specimen, previously identified as Tylosaurus proriger, has been reclassified as a new species, Tylosaurus rex, making it a 13.2-meter-long apex predator with a powerful jaw and serrated teeth; researchers also reassigned 12 other large mosasaurs to T. rex, prompting a rethink of mosasaur evolution and the diversity of Late Cretaceous oceans.
Paleontologists describe a gigantic new mosasaur, Tylosaurus rex, up to 43 feet long with serrated teeth, discovered mainly in Texas. Larger than the previously known Tylosaurus proriger, it indicates a formidable open-water predator in North America’s Western Interior Seaway, with several famous museum specimens reclassified under the new species and findings published in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
Scientists describe a new mosasaur species, Tylosaurus rex, from 80-million-year-old Texas fossils that could reach about 43 feet in length, possessed finely serrated teeth and powerful jaws, and likely dominated ancient seas; several specimens previously labeled as Tylosaurus proriger have been reclassified as this new species, highlighting ongoing revisions in mosasaur evolution and the Western Interior Seaway ecosystem.
A newly described mosasaur from Morocco, Khinjaria acuta, had dagger-like teeth and a powerful jaw, signaling a highly specialized top predator in a Late Cretaceous sea rich with diverse mosasaurs around 66 million years ago.
New research indicates that mosasaurs, giant marine reptiles, could also live in freshwater environments, as evidenced by isotope analysis of fossil teeth from North Dakota, suggesting they were not limited to oceans and may have preyed on dinosaurs in rivers before their extinction.
The Edelman Fossil Park in New Jersey, located behind a shopping center, has yielded over 100,000 fossils from more than 100 species, including the notable mosasaur, providing valuable insights into Earth's prehistoric marine life and mass extinction events, while also engaging the public through educational programs.
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.
Louisiana's fossil record reveals a thriving marine ecosystem of mosasaurs and other species before the 66-million-year-old asteroid impact that caused mass extinction, with recent discoveries including rare marine reptile fossils, seismic evidence of ancient tsunamis, and a mammal fossil marking the rise of mammals post-dinosaurs.
Scientists discovered the largest soft-shelled egg, named Antarcticoolithus bradyi, in Antarctica, which is believed to have been laid by a giant mosasaur, challenging previous assumptions about marine reptile reproduction and the prevalence of soft-shelled eggs in prehistoric times.
Researchers in Mississippi discovered a giant vertebra from Mosasaurus hoffmannii, a massive marine predator from the late Cretaceous period, providing new insights into ancient marine life and the region's prehistoric ecology.
Scientists discovered the largest mosasaur vertebra ever found in Mississippi, revealing a massive prehistoric marine reptile from the Late Cretaceous period, highlighting the region's rich fossil history and the creature's formidable size.