Goronyosaurus
Goronyosaurus was a marine lizard that lived in the warm, murky waters of an ancient inland sea in West Africa. It had a long, tube-like snout and blunt teeth for smashing hard-shelled prey, like a crocodile of the sea.2
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Fun facts
Goronyosaurus had straight, rounded teeth instead of the sharp, cutting teeth of most other mosasaurs. These teeth were perfect for crushing, not slicing.2
Its skull was narrow and flattened, with a long snout and small nostrils placed far back. This helped it hunt in murky, shallow waters.2
The bones of its pelvis were fused together, which is unusual for mosasaurs. This may have made its swimming more powerful.1
Goronyosaurus lived about 70 to 66 million years ago, during the very end of the Age of Dinosaurs.2
It shared its coastal lagoon home with other mosasaurs, crocodiles, turtles, and large fish.2
Scientists think Goronyosaurus was starting to adapt to freshwater rivers, but the big extinction 66 million years ago stopped it.2
Most asked questions about Goronyosaurus
?How big was Goronyosaurus?
About 5.14 metres (16.9 feet) long. That is roughly as long as a small car.2
?What did Goronyosaurus eat?
It ate hard-shelled animals like shellfish and turtles. Its blunt, rounded teeth were perfect for smashing shells.2
?Was Goronyosaurus a dinosaur?
No, it was a marine lizard, not a dinosaur. It belonged to a group called mosasaurs.2
?When did Goronyosaurus live?
It lived about 70 to 66 million years ago, during the very end of the Age of Dinosaurs.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Goronyosaurus was a dinosaur.
Truth: Goronyosaurus was a mosasaur, a type of marine lizard, not a dinosaur. Mosasaurs are more closely related to modern snakes and monitor lizards.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Goronyosaurus
- Named by
- Azzaroli et al. 19723
- Group
- Mosasaurs
- Family / clade
- Mosasauridae3
- Classification
- Mosasauroidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Dukamaje, Rima3
- Countries
- Nigeria, Niger3
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first fossils were found in Nigeria and named Mosasaurus nigeriensis by W. E. Swinton in 1930. In 1972, a new skull from Taloka, Nigeria, showed it was so different that scientists gave it its own genus name Goronyosaurus.21
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how Goronyosaurus is related to other mosasaurs. Its strange skull and teeth make it hard to place in the family tree.2
Where the facts come from
- bdim.eu (bdim.eu)
- Goronyosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Goronyosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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