Pannoniasaurus
Pannoniasaurus was a mosasaur, a kind of marine lizard, but it lived in rivers, not the sea! It had a flat, crocodile-like skull and could grow up to 6 meters long. This unexpected hunter lived in what is now Hungary during the Late Cretaceous.1
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How big was Pannoniasaurus compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Pannoniasaurus is the first mosasauroid ever found that lived in freshwater, like a river dolphin.1
Its name means 'unexpected' because scientists were surprised to find a mosasaur in freshwater rocks.1
It had a flattened, violin-shaped snout and teeth with ridges, like a crocodile.1
Fossils of many individuals, from babies to adults, were found together in a flood deposit.1
Pannoniasaurus lived alongside dinosaurs, pterosaurs, turtles, and crocodiles in a tropical floodplain.1
Its tail was not flattened like other mosasaurs, so it probably swam more like a land lizard.1
Most asked questions about Pannoniasaurus
?Was Pannoniasaurus a dinosaur?
No, it was a mosasaur, a kind of marine lizard, not a dinosaur.2
?How big was Pannoniasaurus?
It was a medium sized mosasaur, reaching up to 6 metres (20 feet) in length.2
?Did Pannoniasaurus live in the sea?
No, it lived in freshwater rivers and floodplains, unlike most other mosasaurs.1
?What did Pannoniasaurus eat?
It probably ate fish and other small animals in the rivers, based on its crocodile-like teeth and habitat.2
Ask Rex about Pannoniasaurus
Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
Myth buster
Myth: All mosasaurs lived only in the ocean.
Truth: Pannoniasaurus shows that some mosasaurs lived in freshwater rivers and lakes.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Pannoniasaurus
- Named by
- Makádi et al. 20123
- Group
- Mosasaurs
- Family / clade
- Tethysaurinae3
- Classification
- Mosasauroidea3
- Age of the rocks
- 86 to 84 million years (Santonian)3
- Rock formations
- Csehbánya, Ajka Coal3
- Countries
- Hungary3
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Also known as
- Pannoniasaurus (older names now counted as the same animal)3
- Discovery
- Pannoniasaurus was named in 2012 by László Makádi, Michael Caldwell, and Attila Ősi from fossils found in a bauxite mine in Hungary.13
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Pannoniasaurus had paddle-like limbs or more lizard-like legs.1
Where the facts come from
- The First Freshwater Mosasauroid (Upper Cretaceous, Hungary) and a New Clade of Basal Mosasauroids | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Pannoniasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pannoniasaurus 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.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Mosasaurus
Prognathodon
Tylosaurus
Platecarpus
Clidastes
Globidens
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Velociraptor
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus