HardTylosaurus
Tylosaurus proriger
TIE-lo-SORE-us· “knob lizard”
🌊 Marine reptile🕰️ Cretaceous🥩 carnivore🦴 Mosasauridae
13 m
Length
2 m
Height
7 t
Weight
One of the largest mosasaurs — a giant marine lizard with a stiff, bony snout it may have used to ram prey. It patrolled the Western Interior Seaway eating fish, sharks, seabirds and even other mosasaurs. A marine reptile, not a dinosaur.
When
Late Cretaceous, ~86–75 million years ago
Found in
United States
Discovered
Edward Drinker Cope, 1869
Did you know?
- One of the biggest mosasaurs, reaching around 13 metres.
- Its bony snout-ram may have been used to stun prey.
- Stomach contents show it ate fish, sharks and even other mosasaurs.
Artwork: MakairodonX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.