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#mosasaurs — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mosasaurs, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Prehistoric Sea Monster Didn't Stick to The Oceans, Suggests Fossil Study.

    #Mosasaurs were the apex predators of the oceans during the reign of the dinosaurs, but new research reveals dinosaurs weren't safe from them in rivers either.

    Researchers from Sweden, the US, and the Netherlands analyzed isotopes in several mosasaur teeth from sites across North Dakota, confirming that these ancient sea monsters could also live in freshwater environments.

    sciencealert.com/prehistoric-s #globalmuseum #fossils

  2. Mosasaurs were the apex predators of the oceans during the reign of the dinosaurs. But these massive aquatic reptiles weren’t limited to the sea, new research has revealed. In fact, mosasaurs were a terrifying threat to thirsty dinosaurs in rivers too. Read more from @ScienceAlert:

    flip.it/OYz.3M

    #Science #Dinosaurs #Mosasaurs #Reptiles #Earth

  3. 12-Dec-2025
    #Mosasaurs, giant marine reptiles that existed more than 66 million years ago, lived not only in the sea but also in rivers. This is shown by new research based on analyses of a mosasaur tooth found in North Dakota and believed to belong to an animal that could reach a length of 11 metres.

    eurekalert.org/news-releases/1
    #science #evolution #fossils #dinosaurs #paleontology

  4. New addition to the bookshelf, ‘Ocean Life in the Time of Dinosaurs’ by Bardet et al. First impressions are positive. It’s great to see obscure groups getting coverage with plenty of diagrams and artwork, not just the #plesiosaurs, #ichthyosaurs and #mosasaurs.

    #bookstodon #book #paleontology

  5. A random artwork from my gallery:

    "Clidastes" — 2021

    Clidastes, god of the sea and forked lightning, does not even look at the ships she sinks.

    johnconway.art/clidastes

    #Art #Clidastes #Gods #Mosasaurs #Sea #Ships #Surreal #Titian

  6. New #Mosasaur Species from Morocco Had Dagger-Like, Interlocking Teeth
    sci.news/paleontology/khinjari

    A bizarre new plioplatecarpine mosasaurid from the #Maastrichtian of #Morocco sciencedirect.com/science/arti

    "Some #mosasaurs had teeth to pierce prey, others to cut, tear, or crush. Now we have #Khinjaria acuta, with a short face full of huge, dagger-shaped teeth."

  7. #Cretaceous-Period #Mosasaur Had Enormous, Wing-Shaped Flippers
    sci.news/paleontology/megapter

    A new derived mosasaurine (#Squamata: Mosasaurinae) from south-western Japan reveals unexpected postcranial diversity among hydropedal mosasaurs tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10

    "Its extra-long rear flippers might have aided propulsion in concert with its long finned tail. And unlike other #mosasaurs, it had a dorsal fin like a #shark’s that would have helped it turn quickly and with precision in the water."

  8. Extra-long rear flippers might have aided propulsion in concert with its long-finned tail. And unlike other #mosasaurs, or large extinct #marine reptiles, it had a dorsal fin like a shark’s that would have helped it turn quickly and with precision in the water.
    #Paleontology #sflorg
    sflorg.com/2023/12/pal12132301

  9. #NewSpecies of #Mosasaur Identified in Mexico
    sci.news/paleontology/yaguaras

    A new species of #Yaguarasaurus (#Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae) from the Agua Nueva Formation (Upper #Turonian – Lower #Coniacian) of Nuevo Leon, #Mexico sciencedirect.com/science/arti

    "this #marine #reptile had a long, slender rostrum and #jaws with small #teeth. The ancient #creature was roughly 5.2 m (17 feet) in length, making it one of the earliest known large #mosasaurs."

  10. Signs of wear on #mosasaurs' teeth show they were picky eaters who liked #seafood phys.org/news/2023-11-mosasaur

    3D dental microwear in type-#Maastrichtian #mosasaur teeth: Femke M. Holwerda et al. nature.com/articles/s41598-023

    "#Prognathodon in particular, with its large cone-shaped teeth, appears to have had a surprising amount of #shellfish in its diet... #Plioplatecarpus, with narrow pointed teeth, showed a striking number of signs of wear. Perhaps it was also fond of #fish with strongly scaled bodies"

  11. 1. Just like the headline implies, this is such a vibe and I don’t care who says it’s not exciting.

    2. That NAME! Absolute move to call it after the beast of Midgard and Valhalla. 🔥🔥🔥

    #mosasaur #palaeontology #mosasaurs #prehistoric #Jormungandr #jurassic #norsemythology #jormungand #geek #mesolithic

  12. New species of #mosasaur named for Norse #SeaSerpent phys.org/news/2023-10-species-

    #Jormungandr walhallaensis : a new mosasaurine from the Pierre Shale Formation (Middle #Campanian) of North Dakota digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/

    "The specimen is estimated to be about 24 feet (7.3m) long, and in addition to flippers and a shark-like tail, it would have had 'angry eyebrows' caused by a bony ridge on the skull, and a slightly stumpy tail that would have been shorter than its body."

    #Cretaceous #mosasaurs

  13. #Fossils in #Morocco reveal the astounding diversity of marine life 66 million years ago, just before the asteroid hit theconversation.com/giant-sea-

    "Wind caused upwelling of nutrient-rich waters, fertilising the seas, and driving vast #plankton blooms. #Phytoplankton fed #zooplankton, feeding small fish and #ammonites, feeding larger animals... and an extraordinary diversity of marine #reptiles sat atop the food chain: giant sea #turtles, long-necked #plesiosaurs and the #mosasaurs."

  14. #NewSpecies of #Mosasaur Identified in #Utah sci.news/paleontology/sarabosa

    A new lower #Turonian #mosasaurid from the #WesternInteriorSeaway and the antiquity of the unique basicranial circulation pattern in Plioplatecarpinae sciencedirect.com/science/arti

    "#Mosasaurs were a group of large predatory marine #reptiles that inhabited all of the world’s oceans during the Late #Cretaceous epoch, between 90 and 66 million years ago. These creatures went #extinct during the end-Cretaceous #extinction."

  15. The Kraken and the Leviathan - A young tylosaurus makes an error in prey choice. This old parapuzosia won't let itself be an easy meal #paleoart #paleontology #fossils #mosasaurs #kraken #cephalopod

  16. 'Sea monsters' were real millions of years ago. New #fossils tell about their rise and fall
    theconversation.com/sea-monste

    #Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of #Morocco sciencedirect.com/science/arti

    Most #mosasaurs had long jaws and small teeth to catch fish. But Thalassotitan had a short, wide snout and strong jaws, shaped like those of a #KillerWhale. The anatomy tells us this #mosasaur was adapted to attack and tear apart large animals.

  17. Today's #megafauna is tylosaurus, a late #cretaceous mosasaur that swam through water with its tail (not its flippers.)The long, narrow snout of #tylosaurus reduced drag as it swam. It also hosted a powerful jaw and upwards of 70 teeth.

    However, the reduction of teeth and reinforced tip of the snout suggest that tylosaurus likely rammed large prey from below. Tylosaurus fed on just about anything, including other #mosasaurs, sharks, pterosaurs, and swept-away carcasses of land #dinosaurs.