Eremiasaurus

Eremiasaurus had very different-shaped teeth in its jaws, a rare trait for mosasaurs. Its species name heterodontus means 'different teeth'.1

The first fossils of Eremiasaurus were teeth found in Morocco in 1952. Scientists at first thought they belonged to another mosasaur called Mosasaurus.1

Eremiasaurus was named in 2012 from two nearly complete skeletons. One skeleton was found by a scientist, and the other came from a commercial fossil collector.1

This mosasaur had a tail that bent downward and a fan of bones in its tail, which helped it swim fast. Its tail was similar to the fast-swimming mosasaur Plotosaurus.1

Eremiasaurus lived in a warm, shallow sea called the Mediterranean Tethys. Many other mosasaurs and fish lived there too.1

Scientists think Eremiasaurus ate different food than its larger mosasaur neighbors, like Thalassotitan and Prognathodon. This helped them avoid competing for the same prey.1