Mosasaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
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Mosasaurus hoffmanni and Globidens aegypticus | |
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Genus: | Mosasaurus
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Mosasaurus (IPA pronunciation: ['mozəˌsɔrʊs]) "lizard of the Meuse" was a genus of mosasaur, a carnivorous, aquatic lizard, somewhat resembling a flippered crocodile, with elongated heavy jaws. The genus lived in the Maastrichtian age of the Cretaceous period (Mesozoic era), around 70-65 millions years ago. The name means "Meuse lizard", because it was found in the Meuse River (Latin Mosa + Greek sauros lizard). As with all mosasaurs, their legs and feet are modified into paddle-like flippers, with the forelimbs larger than the hindlimbs. The first mosasaur ever discovered, Mosasaurus hoffmanni, was excavated in a mine near Maastricht, the Netherlands in the 1770s. The beast was later named for the nearby river Meuse. Like its relatives Tylosaurus and Hainosaurus, Mosasaurus reached lengths of about 15 metres. However, mosasaurus was much more robust than its relatives, at some double the weight of a mosasaur of the same length; a 10m mosasaurus was as heavy as a 15m tylosaurus
Relatives
Mosasaurs were closely related to snakes and lizards. Snakes swallowed their prey whole and it was probably the same for the mosasaurs.
=Diet
Smaller mosasaurs like Halisaurus ate shellfish, hesperonis and possibly turtles. The largest like Hainosaurushunted beach combing dinosaurs, Archelon, other [[mosasaurs] and possibly Elasmosarus. Mosasaurus, which was the biggest had a crown of honour and hunted sharks and even the speedy Xiphacanthus. Some species have been known to eat pliosaurs
Extinction
The K-T event was probably the main cause of extincton, though they lived in sea, their big size made them unablr to findenough food to survive. A second theory would be that it was driven by the more successful Lamniforne sharks like the great white shark or megalodon or the crocodiles like the caimans and the Nile crocodile.
Feeding methods
Mosasaurs probably swallowed their prey whole like the Anacondas of today. However some scientist debated and proposed their evidence. They said mosasaurs had fierce teeth and their skull bones were too straight and not flexible to swallow large prey. Secondly snakes jaws were specialised to stretch and swallow prey whole.
Family living
Mosasaurs probably lived in groups to protect their young. Unlike the Cryptoclidus from Walking with dinosaurs which could flop to land to lay eggs, mosasaurs gave birth to life young. The mosasaur's young were vulnerable to attack from large sharks and other predators. So mosasaurs lived in family groups to keep away enemies.
Predators bigger than mosasaurs: Megalodon, 60ft, 60tonnes Giant plesiosaurs, 80ft, 100tonnes Basilosaurus, 65ft, 60tonnes Sperm whales, 65ft, 80tonnes Shoniosaurus, 50ft, 35tonnes New giantshastasaur, 75ft, 60tonnes Last and the best, Liopleurodon, 110tons and 90feet
References
Chased by Sea monsters The oceans of Kansas