Name:
Mosasaurus (Greek for "Meuse lizard"); pronounced MOE-za-SORE-us
Habitat:
Oceans
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 50 feet long and 15 tons
Diet:
Fish, squids, and shellfish
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Enormous size; blunt, alligator-like head; fin on end of tail
About Mosasaurus:
The remains of Mosasaurus were discovered well before educated society knew about evolution, dinosaurs, or aquatic reptiles--in a mine in Holland in the late 18th century. The unearthing of these fossils led early scientists like Georges Cuvier to speculate, for the first time, about the possibility of extinct species.
The fearsome Mosasaurus was a giant member of the reptile family known as mosasaurs, characterized by their big heads, powerful jaws, streamlined bodies and front and rear paddles. Mosasaurs seem to have been only distantly related to pliosaurs and plesiosaurs; today, evolutionary biologists believe they had much in common with modern-day snakes and monitor lizards.
