Dino card No. 1746 of 2,027

Taniwhasaurus

Say it: tan-ee-WHAH-sore-us

Name means: “taniwha lizard, after a supernatural water creature from Māori mythology”1

Ate: MeatMosasaursLate CretaceousNot technically a dinosaur

Taniwhasaurus was a fierce marine lizard that swam in the oceans during the time of dinosaurs. It had a long, toothless snout like a spear and used it to hunt fish and other sea creatures. This mosasaur lived near New Zealand, Antarctica, Japan, and South Africa.1 2

Fun fact: this sea reptile swam while dinosaurs walked on land. Everyone calls them dinos, but they were a different branch of reptiles.

Lived

86 to 66 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

New Zealand, Antarctica, Japan, and South Africa2 1

Food

Meat2 2

Length

6.7 m1

maximum size estimate

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 7 dogs nose to tailas long as 37 bananas end to end

How big was Taniwhasaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Taniwhasaurus belongs to a group called tylosaurines, which had a long, toothless tip on their upper jaw like a bony spear.1

The first fossils of Taniwhasaurus were found in the 1860s at Haumuri Bluff in New Zealand, and named by James Hector in 1874.1

One species, Taniwhasaurus antarcticus, was originally named Lakumasaurus after a sea spirit from the mythology of the Yahgan people of South America.1

A nearly complete skull of Taniwhasaurus antarcticus was discovered on James Ross Island in Antarctica in 2000, measuring 72 centimeters (28 inches) long.1

Taniwhasaurus lived between about 86 and 66 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.2

The species Taniwhasaurus oweni was named in honor of the famous paleontologist Richard Owen, who first described marine reptiles from New Zealand.1

Taniwhasaurus fossils have been found in marine rocks that were once part of ancient seabeds, alongside ammonites, sharks, and other mosasaurs.1

AI-made picture of Taniwhasaurus — An AI-made picture of how Taniwhasaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Taniwhasaurus

?How big was Taniwhasaurus?

It was a medium-sized mosasaur, reaching about 6.7 metres (22 feet) long.1

?Could Taniwhasaurus swim?

Yes. Its powerful paddles and flexible spine helped it swim, and its tail gave the main push forward.1

?What did Taniwhasaurus eat?

It hunted fish and other sea creatures. It may have used an electro-sensitive snout to find prey.1

?Is Taniwhasaurus a dinosaur?

No, it is a mosasaur, which is a group of extinct marine lizards that lived alongside dinosaurs.1

?When did Taniwhasaurus go extinct?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous period and died out about 66 million years ago.1

Ask Rex about Taniwhasaurus

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: Some people think Taniwhasaurus was a dinosaur.

Truth: Taniwhasaurus was a mosasaur, a type of marine lizard, not a dinosaur. Mosasaurs are reptiles that lived in the sea and are more closely related to modern snakes and monitor lizards.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Taniwhasaurus
Named by: Hector 18743
Group: Mosasaurs
Family / clade: Mosasauridae3
Classification: Mosasauroidea3
Age of the rocks: 86 to 66 million years (Coniacian / Maastrichtian)3
Rock formations: Conway, Snow Hill Island, Conway Siltstone3
Countries: New Zealand, Antarctica, Japan, South Africa3
Fossil records: 11 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first fossils of Taniwhasaurus were found in the 1860s at Haumuri Bluff, New Zealand. Scottish naturalist James Hector named the genus in 1874, calling it Taniwhasaurus oweni after the Māori taniwha and honoring Richard Owen.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the species Taniwhasaurus mikasaensis from Japan is really a separate species, because its fossils are very incomplete.1

Where the facts come from

Taniwhasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Taniwhasaurus 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