Dinokaart nr. 1158 van 2 027

Megapterygius

Naam beteken: “large wing”1

Het geëet: VleisMosasourusseLaat KrytTegnies nie 'n dinosourus nie

Megapterygius was a huge marine lizard that swam in the seas around Japan 72 million years ago. It had enormous flippers that were longer than its head, and scientists think it even had a dorsal fin like a shark!1 2

Prettige feit: hierdie seereptiel het geswem terwyl dinosourusse op land geloop het. Almal noem hulle dino's, maar hulle was 'n ander tak van die reptiele.

Het geleef

84 tot 66 miljoen jaar gelede4

Laat Kryt

Fossiele gevind in

Wakayama Prefecture, Japan1

Lengte

6 m (20 ft)1

Gewig

150 kg tot 450 kg (331 tot 992 lb)3

Topspoed

omtrent 38 km/h (24 mph)

Swem, skatting

Wanneer het dit geleef?

Trias

Jura

Kryt

252 miljoen jaar gelede20114566, die asteroïde

Hoe groot was dit?

Hoe lank was dit?

Hoe swaar was dit?

so swaar soos 22 honde

so lank soos 6 honde van neus tot stertso lank soos 33 piesangs punt aan puntso swaar soos 90 waatlemoeneso swaar soos 24 kleuterskoolkindersso swaar soos 14 skoolkinderskon die lengte van 'n groot swembad (50 m) in 4,7 sekondes swem

Hoe groot was Megapterygius vergeleke met JOU?

Net wiskunde in jou blaaier. Niks word gestoor of êrens heen gestuur nie.

Hoe vinnig was dit?

'n Mens wat loop omtrent 5 km/h (3 mph)

'n Kind op 'n fiets omtrent 12 km/h (7 mph)

Megapterygius omtrent 38 km/h (24 mph)

'n Galopperende perd omtrent 65 km/h (40 mph)

'n Jagluiperd omtrent 100 km/h (62 mph)

cool goed

Prettige feite

Megapterygius had rear flippers that were even longer than its front flippers, a feature only seen in one other mosasaur, Tylosaurus.1

Its flippers were longer than its skull, which is unique among mosasaurs with paddle-like limbs.1

The shape of its backbone suggests it had a dorsal fin, like a dolphin or shark, which would have helped it turn quickly in the water.1 2

Its skull was slightly wide around the eye sockets, giving it binocular vision that helped it hunt prey. This is only the second mosasaur known to have this ability.1

The fossil was found in 2006 by Akihiro Misaki, who was actually looking for ammonite fossils when he spotted a vertebra.1 2

More than 100 shark teeth were found around the Megapterygius skeleton, suggesting that sharks scavenged its body after it died.1

Megapterygius is the most complete mosasaur skeleton ever found in Japan or the northwestern Pacific.2

KI-prent van Megapterygius — 'n KI-prent van hoe Megapterygius dalk gelyk het, deur 'n rekenaar gemaak uit wat wetenskaplikes weet. Dit is 'n raaiskoot: die regte dier het dalk anders gelyk, en niemand weet wat sy regte kleure was nie.

julle het gevra

Mees gevraagde vrae oor Megapterygius

?How big was Megapterygius?

Megapterygius was about 6 metres long, with a skull about 0.8 metres long. That is roughly the size of a large great white shark.1 2

?Did Megapterygius have a dorsal fin?

Scientists think it did. The shape of its backbone is like that of dolphins and porpoises, which have dorsal fins, and this would have helped it turn quickly in the water. It's the first mosasaur with evidence of a dorsal fin.1 2

?What did Megapterygius eat?

Scientists think it hunted large groups of small prey, like schools of fish. Its binocular vision and big flippers would have helped it catch them.1

?When did Megapterygius live?

Megapterygius lived about 72 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, in the seas around Japan.1 2

Vir dino-kenners

Wetenskaplike naam: Megapterygius
Benoem deur: Konishi et al. 20234
Groep: Mosasourusse
Familie / klade: Mosasauridae4
Klassifikasie: Mosasauroidea4
Ouderdom van die rotse: 84 tot 66 miljoen jaar (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
Rotsformasies: Toyajo4
Lande: Japan4
Fossielrekords: 1 in The Paleobiology Database4
Ontdekking: The fossil was discovered in 2006 by Akihiro Misaki in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It was named Megapterygius wakayamaensis by Takuya Konishi and colleagues in 2023.1 2
Steeds omstrede: Scientists are still debating how Megapterygius used its four large flippers and tail fin together for swimming, since no modern animal has a similar body shape.2

Waar die feite vandaan kom

Megapterygius (en.wikipedia.org)
UC paleontologist describes Wakayama 'blue dragon' that ruled prehistoric waters off Japan - University of Cincinnati: Founder of Co-op, Leader in Co-op | University of Cincinnati (uc.edu)
Megapterygius | Dino Encyclopedia (dinosaurmuseum.jp)
Megapterygius in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): ouderdom, plekke, rotsformasies, klassifikasie.

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