Species of mosasaur measuring 43 FEET long terrorised the ancient seas

Tylosaurus rex is a newly identified species of mosasaur, a marine reptile group that lived during the dinosaur era. It could reach up to 43 feet in length, making it more than twice the size of the largest great white sharks and comparable in size to the land-based Tyrannosaurus rex. The species name means “King of the Tylosaurs.” Fossil evidence indicates exceptionally strong neck and jaw muscles and a mouth filled with finely serrated, razor-sharp teeth. These traits suggest it was a top predator in seas above what is now Texas about 80 million years ago. Fossil material previously stored in US museums had been misidentified as Tylosaurus proriger, but comparisons to the holotype showed it was a different, larger species from Texas and slightly younger than related finds from Kansas.

"Named Tylosaurus rex, this fierce creature is a massive new species of mosasaur, a family of marine reptiles that lived during the reign of the dinosaurs. Tylosaurus rex, or T. rex for short, could grow to up to 43 feet (13.1 metres) in length. That makes Tylosaurus rex more than twice the length of the largest great white sharks, and just as big as the land-based T. rex."

"Scientists say that Tylosaurus rex, whose name means 'King of the Tylosaurs', was one of the biggest mosasaurs to ever exist. According to palaeontologists, these terrors had exceptionally strong neck and jaw muscles as well as a mouth full of razor-sharp, finely serrated teeth. Experts think that would have made them top predators in the seas above what is now Texas around 80 million years ago."

"The fossil remains of Tylosaurus rex have actually been sitting in several museums around the US for decades, but no one had realised what they really were. Dr Zietlow was looking through the archives at the American Museum of Natural History when she stumbled upon a mosasaur fossil that appeared to have been misidentified. The fossil had been labelled as a specimen of Tylosaurus proriger, another large mosasaur discovered over 150 years ago."

"However, when Dr Zietlow compared the fossil to the name-bearing specimen, known as the holotype, it was clear that this fossil was something different altogether. The mysterious mosasaur is much larger than Tylosaurus proriger, with a skull almost as big as Dr Zietlow herself. Likewise, Tylosaurus proriger fossils are found in what is now Kansas and date back to around 84 million years ago, while these were from Texas and are four million years younger."

Read at Mail Online