Tylosaurus

Description

Tylosaurus was a ferocious marine lizard that powered itself through the water with sweeping motions of its long body and fish-like tail. At a massive 46 ft long, it was about the size of a humpback whale and one of the largest mosasaurs. It lived in the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous, from about 75 to 85 million years ago. This fishy reptile model is 9.25 inches long and 1.5 inches high. Its stunning yellow and black stripes are reminiscent of some modern day sea snakes.

The predatory Tylosaurus had a long, streamlined body and a large skull with pointed jaws filled with sharp, conical teeth. The bases of the teeth in large individuals could be the size of a clenched human fist. It had extra rows of teeth on the roof of its mouth to hold struggling prey. Its limbs were broad, flattened flippers and its long tail probably ended with an expanded lobe to provide extra thrust.

Tylosaurus is not a dinosaur, but instead is a mosasaur – an extinct group of seagoing reptiles that are closely related to modern lizards and snakes. Mosasaurs first appeared about 100 million years ago and rapidly spread around the world, even to Antarctic waters. They vanished along with dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period (the third and final period of the Age of Dinosaurs) about 66 million years ago. A hunter of large fishes and smaller marine reptiles, Tylosaurus is one of the largest and best-known mosasaurs.

Each replica comes with 5 language educational information. Ages 3+.

Dimensions

Length: 23.5cm
Height: 3.8cm

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