26 december 2023 – 22:30 – Morocco
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Researchers in Morocco and Japan have discovered fossil remains of the mosasaur, a fearsome aquatic reptile that dominated the oceans until the Cretaceous period.
The specimen found in Morocco by researchers from the University of Bath is named Thalassotitan atrox. It is considered one of the most dangerous aquatic predators, slightly smaller in size but equipped with conical teeth that are extremely dangerous to prey, reports the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The mosasaur is described as “a kind of cross between a Komodo dragon, a great white shark, a T. rex and a killer whale,” according to one of the paleontologists involved in the discovery.
Also read: Revolutionary dinosaur discovery: Morocco rewrites history
In Asia, paleontologists have found a Megapterygius wakayamaensi near the Aridagawa River, in the southwest of the Japanese island of Honshu. This enormous, approximately 72 million year old fossil is 5 meters long (and can grow up to 17 meters long as an adult, making it one of the longest known reptiles), has 121 vertebrae, a skull 70 centimeters long and weighs almost 14 tons . The mosasaur had a dolphin-like body, an alligator-like mouth, four paddle-shaped fins and a long tail.
Also read: Mosasaurus fossil discovered in Morocco, with never-before-seen ‘screwdriver teeth’
Unlike other mosasaur species, this specimen had no dorsal fin and its rear fins were longer than the front ones. This predator hunted in the planet’s warmest waters between 100 and 66 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. Like the dinosaurs, this animal disappeared during the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary 66 million years ago.
2023-12-26 21:30:00
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