Name:
Tylosaurus (Greek for "knob lizard"); pronounced TIE-low-SORE-us
Habitat:
Shallow seas of Central America
Historical Period:
Middle-late Cretaceous (85-80 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 35 feet long and 7 tons
Diet:
Fish, turtles and other reptiles
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long, sleek body; narrow, well-muscled jaws
About Tylosaurus:
Tylosaurus was about as well-adapted to terrorizing sea creatures as any aquatic reptile could be: it had a narrow, hydrodynamic body, a blunt, powerful head suited to ramming prey, agile flippers and a maneuverable fin on the end of its long tail. A type of mosasaur--an aquatic reptile related to modern snakes and monitor lizards--it may have hastened the extinction of less specialized pliosaurs and plesiosaurs.
