Thalassotitan
Thalassotitan was a giant sea lizard that lived in the ocean near Morocco. It was one of the biggest and scariest hunters of its time, with a huge head and strong jaws. It ate other sea creatures like turtles and even other mosasaurs!12
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Fun facts
Thalassotitan had teeth like a killer whale, thick and cone-shaped, perfect for grabbing big prey.12
It was an apex predator, meaning it was at the top of the food chain, like orcas and white sharks today.12
Some fossils found near Thalassotitan show acid damage, which scientists think came from being eaten and partly digested by this mosasaur.12
Thalassotitan lived about 67 to 66 million years ago, right before the dinosaurs went extinct.1
Its skull was broad and its jaws were massive, built for biting hard and crushing prey.2
Thalassotitan is part of a group called Prognathodontini, known for their strong jaws and thick teeth.1
Most asked questions about Thalassotitan
?How big was Thalassotitan?
Thalassotitan was about 9 to 10 metres long, with a skull up to 1.3 metres long. That is about the size of a killer whale.13
?What did Thalassotitan eat?
Thalassotitan ate other marine reptiles, including smaller mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, sea turtles, and large fish. Its teeth show heavy wear from biting into bones.12
?Was Thalassotitan a dinosaur?
No, Thalassotitan was a mosasaur, which is a type of extinct marine lizard. It lived in the ocean and was not a dinosaur.1
?When did Thalassotitan live?
Thalassotitan lived about 67 to 66 million years ago, during the very end of the Cretaceous period. That is right before the non avian dinosaurs went extinct.1
?Where was Thalassotitan found?
Thalassotitan fossils were discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco. Some teeth that might belong to it have also been found in other places like the United States.1
?Could Thalassotitan swim?
Yes, Thalassotitan was a marine reptile that lived in the ocean and was a strong swimmer. It used its powerful tail and flippers to move through the water and hunt.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Thalassotitan was a dinosaur.
Truth: Thalassotitan was a mosasaur, a marine lizard, not a dinosaur. Mosasaurs are reptiles that lived in the sea.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Thalassotitan
- Named by
- Longrich et al. 20224
- Group
- Mosasaurs
- Family / clade
- Mosasauridae4
- Classification
- Mosasauroidea4
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Couche III4
- Countries
- Morocco4
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Thalassotitan was named in 2022 by Nicholas Longrich and his team, based on fossils from Morocco. The fossils were first thought to belong to other mosasaurs like Mosasaurus or Prognathodon.14
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure if some teeth found in other countries, like Jordan or Brazil, belong to Thalassotitan or to a related species.1
Where the facts come from
- Thalassotitan (en.wikipedia.org)
- Thalassotitan atrox , a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco (sciencedirect.com)
- Scientists discover fossils of giant sea lizard that ruled the oceans 66 million years ago (bath.ac.uk)
- Thalassotitan in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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