恐龍卡第 1746 張，共 2 027 張

Taniwhasaurus

名字的意思： “taniwha lizard, after a supernatural water creature from Māori mythology”1

吃：肉滄龍類白堊紀晚期嚴格來說不是恐龍

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

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

86 到 66 百萬年前3

白堊紀晚期

化石發現地

New Zealand, Antarctica, Japan, and South Africa2 1

長度

6.7 m (22 ft)1

最高速度

時速約 37 公里（23 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 7 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 37 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長能在 4.9 秒內游完一座大泳池（50 公尺）

Taniwhasaurus 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)

Taniwhasaurus 時速約 37 公里 (23 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

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

Taniwhasaurus 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Taniwhasaurus 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 Taniwhasaurus 最常被問的問題

?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

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think Taniwhasaurus was a dinosaur.

真相： 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

給恐龍專家

學名: Taniwhasaurus
命名者: Hector 18743
類群: 滄龍類
科 / 演化支: Mosasauridae3
分類: Mosasauroidea3
岩石的年代: 86 到 66 百萬年 (Coniacian / Maastrichtian)3
岩層: Conway, Snow Hill Island, Conway Siltstone3
國家: 紐西蘭, 南極洲, 日本, 南非3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 11 筆3
發現: 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
仍有爭議: Scientists are not sure if the species Taniwhasaurus mikasaensis from Japan is really a separate species, because its fossils are very incomplete.1