恐龍卡第 0348 張，共 2 027 張

Carinodens

名字的意思： “keel teeth”1

吃：肉滄龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

Carinodens was a small mosasaur, a marine lizard that lived in the late Cretaceous seas. It had round, blunt teeth like a set of nutcrackers for crushing hard-shelled animals. At only about 2 to 2.6 metres long, it was one of the tiniest mosasaurs ever.1

趣味小知識：這種海生爬蟲類在海裡游泳的時候，恐龍正在陸地上走路。大家都叫牠們恐龍，但牠們其實是爬蟲類的另一個分支。

生存年代

72 到 66 百萬年前3

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Morocco, Brazil, Ukraine, Russia, and Maryland (USA)3 1

長度

2 到 2.6 m (6.6 到 8.5 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 30 公里（19 英里）

游泳, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2.5 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 14 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 6 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Carinodens 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Carinodens 時速約 30 公里 (19 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Carinodens was first thought to be a crocodile! A fossil jaw was originally named Bottosaurus belgicus and considered a crocodilian before being recognized as a mosasaur.1

Its teeth were very different from each other. The front teeth were round and curved, while the back teeth were flat and blade-like with a keel on each side.1

Scientists can tell what Carinodens ate by looking at tiny scratches on its teeth. The wear patterns show it munched on hard-shelled animals that lived on the seafloor.1

Carinodens is closely related to Globidens, another mosasaur with crushing teeth. Together they belong to a group called Globidensini.1

The name Carinodens means 'keel teeth' because its teeth have a ridge like the keel of a boat. It replaced the older name Compressidens, which was already used for a different animal.1

Carinodens 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Carinodens 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Carinodens 最常被問的問題

?What did Carinodens eat?

Carinodens ate hard-shelled animals like clams, oysters, and sea urchins. Its blunt teeth were perfect for crushing them, and scratches on the teeth show it munched on creatures that lived on the seafloor.1 2

?How big was Carinodens?

Carinodens was about 2 to 2.6 metres (6.6 to 8.5 feet) long. That makes it one of the smallest mosasaurs ever.1

?Where did Carinodens live?

Carinodens lived in the late Cretaceous seas, and its fossils have been found in Europe, North America, South America, and North Africa. Most skull fossils come from the Netherlands and Belgium.1

?Is Carinodens a dinosaur?

No, Carinodens is not a dinosaur. It is a marine lizard called a mosasaur that lived in the sea during the time of the dinosaurs.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Carinodens
命名者: Thurmond 19693
類群: 滄龍類
科 / 演化支: Mosasauridae3
分類: Mosasauroidea3
岩石的年代: 72 到 66 百萬年 (Maastrichtian)3
岩層: Maastricht, Gramame, Bereza Beds3
國家: 荷蘭, 摩洛哥, 巴西, 烏克蘭, 俄羅斯, 比利時3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 16 筆3
發現: The first fossils were found in Belgium and described by Louis Dollo in 1913 as Globidens fraasi. In 1969, J.T. Thurmond gave it the new name Carinodens because the old name was already taken.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure how many species of Carinodens existed. Some think C. belgicus and C. fraasi might be the same species, while others believe they are different based on tooth shape.1