In Depth Russellosaurus represents a primitive mosasaur, marine reptiles that would go on to achieve a variety of sizes and specialisations that would see them becoming the dominant predators of the late Cretaceous seas. Russelosaurus itself displays a number of features which are diagnostic of more than one mosasaur group, something that suggests that these … Read more
In Depth The holotype specimen of Pannoniasaurus was first discovered in 1999, and finally described to science as a new genus of mosasaur in 2012. This description made history in the field of mosasaur research as it marked the first time that a mosasaur had been found in a freshwater deposit. Before this discovery, mosasaurs … Read more
In Depth Although discovered in mainland Mexico, it needs to be remembered that back in the late Cretaceous this area was actually underwater. The problem with Amphekepubis is that it has been described upon very incomplete remains, leading to speculation that Amphekepubis may actually be another mosasaur (Possibly Mosasaurus). Additionally there is further speculation that … Read more
In Depth At five to six meters long, Wonambi would have been able to tackle any small to medium sized animal it chose. The Aboriginal people living in Australia at the same time as Wonambi were certainly aware of the presence of large snakes and indeed warned their children about going to watering holes alone. … Read more
The Discovery and Naming of Tylosaurus The discovery of Tylosaurus harks back to the ‘bone wars’, a fierce rivalry between the palaeontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh that took place towards the end of the nineteenth century. As such the naming history of Tylosaurus is muddled and can cause confusion to those who … Read more
In Depth Adinophis is a genus of madtstoiid snake that lived in Madagascar during the Ceretaceous. Relatives genera of Adinophis include Wonambi, Menarana, Sanajeh, Yurlunggur, Madtsoia and Gigantophis. Further Reading - New snakes from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Maevarano Formation, Mahajanga Basin, Madagascar. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(5):1080-1093. - A. C. Pritchard, J. A. McCartney, … Read more
In Depth Haasiasaurus was originally named as Haasia in 1999, but when it realised that Haasia had already been used to name a genus of millipede, the mosasaur needed to be renamed, hence the change to Haasiasaurus in 2003. As a mosasaur, Haasiasaurus would have been a predator of fish and other marine reptiles. Further … Read more
In Depth Archaerhineura is a genus of worm lizard that lived in North America during the Paleocene. Further Reading - Biogeography of worm lizards (Amphisbaenia) driven by end-Cretaceous mass extinction. - Proceedings of the Royal Society, B 282:20143034. - N. R. Longrich, J. Vinther, R. A. Pyron, D. Pisani & J. A. Gauthier - 2015.
In Depth Komensaurus was a basal mosasaur that was similar to other primitive forms such as Dallasaurus and Vallecillosaurus which are currently known from North America. Together these mosasaurs show that while they were primitive in form, the first mosasaurs were still capable of crossing wide expanses of ocean to spread out into new locations. … Read more
In Depth With an average size of up to four meters long Clidastes was tiny when compared to the larger mosasaurs such as Mosasaurus and Tylosaurus (the latter of which is actually considered to have been a potential predator of Clidastes). The small size of Clidastes suggests that it specialised in hunting smaller and swifter … Read more