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Mosasaurs
Click here for more Mosasaur Pictures
| Scientific Classification |
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Mosasaurs are a group of extinct marine reptiles.
They were
powerful swimmers with long streamlined snake-like bodies (although they
did have four limbs all finned, and possibly a finned tail), and
ate fish, turtles, sea urchins, and shellfish including molluscs. The smallest
known mosasaur was about 10 feet (3 meters) long, but the largest grew as long
as 57 feet (17.5 meters).
Mosasaurs were not dinosaurs, but were lepidosaurs (reptiles with overlapping
scales, the group that includes lizards, snakes, and sphenodonts such as the
tuatara):
- Mosasaurs are believed to have evolved from aigialosaurs, which were semi-aquatic
lizards that lived during the early
Cretaceous period, and
who are believed to be related to monitor lizards.
- In 1869, Edward D. Cope
suggested that Mosasaurs and snakes share a common marine ancestor. This idea was
based on the similarities observed in Mosasaur and snake jaws, the reduced limbs,
and the fact that Mosasaurs may have moved in a similar way to snakes.
In the 1990s, the discovery of fossils
of early snakes with vestigial limbs in marine sediments seemed to provide
support for this hypothesis. However, more recently, other early snake
fossils have been found,
and since these show animals with hind limbs and an apparently burrowing lifestyle,
some doubt has been cast on the idea that Mosasaurs and snakes shared a common
ancestor.
Mosasaur skeletions:
Mosasaurs appear to have first evolved during early or middle
Cretaceous period,
perhaps around 96 million years ago. In the last 20 million years of the
Cretaceous,
following the extinction of
Ichthyosaurs,
they became the dominant predators. However, all
Mosasaurs died out during the
mass extinction at the end of the
Cretaceous period.
The first publicized discovery of a Mosasaur
fossil
occurred in 1778. A
fossil was
found in a limestone quarry in 1780,
near the city of
Masstricht
in
Holland. It was not however
named or scientifically described until later, the name eventually given, Mosasaur, means
"Meuse lizard", and refers to the nearby Meuse River. Subsequently, other fossils
which had been found earlier in the same area, and had been on display since around 1770, were also
identified as being from a Mosasaur.
Since then, other Mosasaur
fossils have been found in many other countries
around the world, including
Australia,
Canada,
Denmark,
Mexico,
New Zealand,
Peru,
Sweden,
and the
United States,
as well as in Africa and off the coast of Antarctica.
Mosasaurs were marine reptiles that lived between 96 and 65 million years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Mosasaur Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Darren Naish
Smithsonian Books
Released: February 28th, 2023
Navy Hardcover (192 pages)
 | List Price: $29.95*
Lowest New Price: $27.85*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Ancient Sea Reptiles: Plesiosaurs, Ichthyosaurs, Mosasaurs, and More- Manufacturer: Smithsonian Books
- ISBN: 1588347273
- EAN: 9781588347275
- PartNumber: 9781588347275
Details:- Hardcover
- Number of Pages: 192
- Author: Darren Naish
- Publication Date: February 28th, 2023
- Release Date: February 28th, 2023
Physical Description:- Size: 10.24 inches by 7.9 inches by 0.76 inches
- Weight: 1.84967837818 pounds
- Color: Navy
Click here for more information |
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By Kate Moening
Bellwether Media
Released: January 1st, 2023
Paperback (24 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $8.99*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Mosasaurs (Ancient Marine Life)- Manufacturer: Bellwether Media
- EAN: 9798886872194
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 24
- Author: Kate Moening
- Publication Date: January 1st, 2023
- Release Date: January 1st, 2023
Physical Description:- Size: 8.78 inches by 7.36 inches by 0.24 Inches
- Weight: 0.20062065842 Pounds
Click here for more information |
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By David C. Parris, Kevin D Mulcahy, William Kuehne & Heather Siple
Independently published
Released: April 21st, 2024
Paperback (100 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $22.00*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Mosasaur - Volume 13: The Journal of the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society- Manufacturer: Independently published
- EAN: 9798393709570
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 100
- Authors: David C. Parris, William J Shankle, Kevin D Mulcahy, Tyler Greenfield, William Kuehne, Lee Spears, Heather Siple
- Publication Date: April 21st, 2024
- Release Date: April 21st, 2024
Physical Description:- Size: 11.0 Inches by 8.5 Inches by 0.24 Inches
Click here for more information |
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By Gregory S. Paul
Princeton University Press
Released: October 18th, 2022
Hardcover (208 pages)
 | List Price: $35.00*
Lowest New Price: $25.99*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles- Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
- ISBN: 0691193800
- EAN: 9780691193809
- PartNumber: 9780691193809
Details:- Hardcover
- Number of Pages: 208
- Author: Gregory S. Paul
- Publication Date: October 18th, 2022
- Release Date: October 18th, 2022
Physical Description:- Size: 11.0 inches by 8.5 inches by 0.75 inches
- Weight: 2.314853751 pounds
Click here for more information |
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By Nathalie Bardet & Stéphane Jouve
Princeton University Press
Released: November 21st, 2023
Hardcover (208 pages)
 | List Price: $29.95*
Lowest New Price: $21.49*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Ocean Life in the Time of Dinosaurs- Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
- ISBN: 0691243948
- EAN: 9780691243948
- PartNumber: 9780691243948
Details:- Hardcover
- Number of Pages: 208
- Authors: Nathalie Bardet, Alexandra Houssaye, Stéphane Jouve, Peggy Vincent
- Publication Date: November 21st, 2023
- Release Date: November 21st, 2023
Physical Description:- Size: 10.5 inches by 8.0 inches by 0.75 inches
- Weight: 2.20021337476 pounds
Click here for more information |
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By Earl A Shapiro Editor, William B. Gallagher, Judith B Weisshample & Frank Bukowsi
Independently published
Released: January 1st, 1983
Paperback (128 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $10.29*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Mosasaur - Volume 1, January 1983: The Journal of the Delware Valley Paleontological Society- Manufacturer: Independently published
- EAN: 9798373680233
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 128
- Authors: Earl A Shapiro Editor, David C. Parris, William B. Gallagher, David B. Weishample, Judith B Weisshample, Peter Dodson, Frank Bukowsi
- Publication Date: January 1st, 1983
- Release Date: January 1st, 1983
Physical Description:- Size: 11.0 Inches by 8.5 Inches by 0.29 Inches
Click here for more information |
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By William B. Gallagher, Joseph Hatcher, Jason P. Schein, George F. Klein & David C. Parris
Independently published
Released: May 1st, 2014
Paperback (99 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $12.97*
In Stock*
*(As of 19:17 Pacific 7 Dec 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Mosasaur - Volume 8, may 2014: The Journal of the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society- Manufacturer: Independently published
- EAN: 9798392964277
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 99
- Authors: William B. Gallagher, William J Shankle, Joseph Hatcher, Emma Morris, Jason P. Schein, Jason C. Poole, George F. Klein, Kate Krsnak, David C. Parris, Kyle W. Shankle
- Publication Date: May 1st, 2014
- Release Date: May 1st, 2014
Physical Description:- Size: 11.0 Inches by 8.5 Inches by 0.24 Inches
Click here for more information |
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