However, paleontologists believe that its diet consisted of fish, shellfish and squids. It was first discovered during the mid-18th century in Maastricht, Netherlands and eventually collected by Jean-Baptiste Drouin. The Mosasaurus is an extinct species of huge carnivorous aquatic lizards.

It wouldn’t have eaten sharks though like it was shown in Jurassic World. How long was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? Although Mosasaurus was suitable for aquatic life, he was able to breathe in the open air. The Mosasaurus got its scientific name Mosasaurus hoffmanni in 1829, by Gideon Mantell.

This aquatic animal was indeed a fierce looking creature. Their paddle-like limbs had five digits in front and four in back. Teeth that were able to eviscerate anything this animal wanted to eat. The recent discovery of the small, amphibious Dallasaurus, which was capable of swimming as well as walking on land, hints that mosasaurs evolved from early Cretaceous reptiles very similar in appearance to modern monitor lizards (another transitional candidate is the European Aigialosaurus). While it would be tempting to speculate that mosasaurs evolved from ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, this doesn't appear to be the case. Why these variations? But where does the sensationalism in Hollywood end? It is to Georges Cuvier that we owe the honor of having established that this formidable giant marine reptile of nearly 50 feet long (approximately 18 meters) belonged to the family of mosasaurs. Reasoning by analogy with modern marine predators, like the Great White Shark, it's likely that bigger mosasaur genera like Mosasaurus and Hainosaurus feasted on their fellow mosasaurs and marine reptiles, while smaller species like Clidastes made do with relatively harmless prehistoric fish. Variants Alpha Mosasaur; Brute X-Mosasaurus; Eerie Alpha Mosasaur; Eerie Mosasaur; X-Mosasaurus; Spawn Command.

It was approximately 50 feet long – or longer than a semi-truck trailer and it weighed about 15 tons – or almost twice the weight of an elephant. The earliest remains of Mosasaurus were discovered long before society was educated on evolution, dinosaurs and marine reptiles. Size: Largest individuals from 15 to potentially up to 18 meters long. Although they were able to dive, they evidently did not venture into deeper waters. admincheat summon Mosa_Character_BP_C or admincheat … DINO WORLD ©2020 the-dinosaurs.com | FRENCH. As you might expect with such a long-lasting family of marine reptiles, not all mosasaurs were in the same weight class or pursued the same diet. As you might expect with such a long-lasting family of marine reptiles, not all mosasaurs were in the same weight class or pursued the same diet. We are the world's largest online educational resource dedicated to dinosaurs, paleontology, prehistoric animals and everything related to it. Bob Strauss is a science writer and the author of several books, including "The Big Book of What, How and Why" and "A Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of North America.". Roland Tanglao/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0. And to judge by the round, pebbly shapes of their teeth, it seems that other mosasaurs like Globidens and Prognathodon specialized in gobbling down shelled prey, ranging from small mollusks and ammonites to larger (and tougher) sea turtles. Mosasaurus was discovered at a time before anyone had even discovered evolution or even, dinosaurs. Less certain is the proposed evolutionary relationship between ancient mosasaurs and modern snakes; the two reptile families share sleek body plans, scaly skin and the ability to open their mouths extra-wide, but the rest is a matter of debate. In the case of the U.S., this is because, back in Cretaceous times, much of North America was covered by the "Great Interior Sea" (or the Sundance Sea, as it's also called), a broad but shallow body of water that swamped large portions of modern-day Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. Although they weren't technically dinosaurs, the marine reptiles known as mosasaurs hold a unique place in paleontological history: it was the discovery of a specimen of Mosasaurus in 1764, in a Dutch quarry, that galvanized scientists into the realization that species could become extinct (and that the earth used to be populated by some very strange creatures well before Biblical times). Paleontologist don’t currently know how fast these animals could’ve swum but they think it was pretty fast. Studies using anatomical comparisons with sharks and ichthyosaurs have shown that changes in the tail, which became more powerful and more flexible, as well as modifications to the extremities that turned into paddles have allowed the Mosasaurus to adapt and conquer this new environment. The ancestors of the Mosasaurus were probably similar to the marine iguanas of the present Galapagos Islands; they were earthly creatures but went to the ocean to feed. The mosasaurs were only distant relatives with the pliosaurs and plesiosaurs that preceded them and supplanted them for the dominance of the oceans at the time of the Upper Cretaceous. The culmination of this trend was the truly enormous (up to 50 feet long and 50 tons) Megalodon. In general, it is conceivable that this apex predator of the prehistoric depths feasted on almost anything living in the ocean. Was about as long as a modern North Pacific right whale, Weighed as much much as a modern Sperm whale. Diet Carnivore. It wasn’t until it was examined by Georges Cuvier and he discovered it was some sort of marine reptile that he came to the conclusion that extinct species lived on the Earth at one time. That enabled it to sail effortlessly through the water at what must have been pretty high speeds. Artwork by Nobu Tamura. These sleek, reptilian predators may have been responsible for the extinction of the ichthyosaurs by the end of the Cretaceous period (not necessarily by eating them, but by out-competing them for food), and their quick, agile, hydrodynamic builds gave plesiosaurs and pliosaurs a run for their money.

The skull was more robust than in other mosasaurids, and the lower jaws (mandibles) attached very tightly to the skull. Evolutionary biologists believe that the Mosasaurus is close relatives of modern snakes and monitor lizards like the Komodo Dragon. The Mosasaurus was discovered in 1764, by lieutenant Jean Baptiste Drouin. The tail of the mosasaurs was very similar to that of whales, sharks and ichthyosaurs (another aquatic lizard that disappeared from the Cretaceous oceans before the arrival of the Mosasaurus). The real Mosasaurus, which weighed about 15 tons, was much less impressive than its cinematic depiction. Welcome to the-dinosaurs.com ! Mosasaurus is an aquatic lizard which lived approximately 70 million to 65 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period. The jaws could open about 3 feet (1 m). These dinosaurs are recognizable by the look of their heads which is rather broad and resembles that of a crocodile and by the shape of their bodies which is a curious mixture of fish and snake. Essentially, mosasaurs ruled the seas for about 20 million years, until the K/T Extinction expunged most giant reptiles (and all the marine varieties) from the face of the earth 65 million years ago. 219.0 October 14, 2015. This kind of notion went against the dominant religious thought of the time and was very controversial. 1.0 May 24, 2018. Plesiosaurus, the Long-Necked Marine Reptile, The 20 Biggest Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Reptiles, 10 Facts About Elasmosaurus, Ancient Marine Reptile, Plesiosaur and Pliosaur Pictures and Profiles, Plesiosaurs and Pliosaurs - The Sea Serpents, Learn About the Different Dinosaur Periods, Tylosaurus: From the Shallow Seas of North America, The Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals of Kansas. The discovery of Mosasaurus is a major scientific breakthrough in history since it was when Georges Cuvier realized that this fossil belonged to an aquatic lizard that he understood that other species now extinct had already lived on Earth at a certain time.
An immense seagoing lizard—and not an actual dinosaur—Mosasaurus can use its fearsome array of teeth to catch fish, birds, and other marine reptiles—even great white sharks. Mosasaurus ("lizard from the Meuse River") was soon named by the renowned naturalist Georges Cuvier, and the general name "mosasaur" attached to other members of this ancient family. Well, it ate just about anything it wanted.

Since the Mosasaurus was carnivorous, its jaw was very powerful and filled with razor sharp teeths. lemonnieri Dollo, 1889, M. beaugei Arambourg, 1952, and M. missouriensis (Harlan, 1834). The Mosasaurus had a second set of teeth in his upper palace that ensured preys it was trying to swallow had no chance of escaping. These aquatic lizards gave birth to mosasaurs about 90 million years ago in waters already dominated by sharks that were then at the top of the aquatic food chain. 599.0 November 30, 2018. Everything on Paleontology, curiosities, facts, etc…. In evolutionary terms, mosasaurs were distinct from three other famous groups of marine reptiles, ichthyosaurs ("fish lizards"), long-necked plesiosaurs, and short-necked pliosaurs. Mosasauruswas also more robust than related mosasaurids. Fossil representation: Many specimens. Mosasaur Lifestyles . on How long was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? Mosasaurus was the first genus of mosasaurs to be named. It was big but it wasn’t nearly that big.

The closest assumption, however, was made by the naturalist Aadrian Camper, who assumed that these were monitor lizard bones. The largest known species, M. hoffmannii reached lengths up to 17 m (56 ft), slightly longer than its relatives Tylosaurus and Hainosaurus.

The jaws were armed with massive conical teeth.
These teeths could eviscerate everything that this animal wanted to eat. 311.74 June 11, 2020. In the space of 27 million years, these predators have transformed themselves from terrestrial animals with limbs to aquatic lizards. Kansas alone has yielded three major mosasaur genera, Tylosaurus, Platecarpus, and Clidastes. The Mosasaurus is thought to have been hunting near the surface of the water and feeding mainly on seabirds, sharks, large fish, seafood, squid, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs and even other mosasaurs. Since the genus was first named in the early 19th century, numerous species have been assigned to Mosasaurus, both from North America and Europe. In general, it is conceivable that this apex predator of the prehistoric depths feasted on almost anything living in the ocean. Diet: Carnivore; Age: Late Cretaceous, 70-66 million years ago; Mosasaurus once ruled the Cretaceous seas.