Ancient species from time of dinosaurs identified by D-FW researchers
Dallas News • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History, Perot Museum, and Southern Methodist University identified a new mosasaur species, Tylosaurus rex, a massive marine lizard measuring 25 to 45 feet long that lived in the seas above North Texas during the Cretaceous Period.
- The species was distinguished by its serrated teeth, larger body, and stronger musculature compared to related mosasaurs, with fossils originally found in 1979 by children on a family boating trip at Lake Ray Hubbard.
- Tylosaurus rex fossils show evidence of violent intraspecies encounters, including one specimen nicknamed “The Black Knight” with severe injuries that had healed, indicating survival after combat with others of its kind.
- Citizen scientists and amateur fossil hunters have played a crucial role in discovering many North Texas mosasaur fossils, highlighting Texas as one of the richest areas in the world for mosasaur evolutionary records.
- The discovery not only enhances understanding of marine reptile diversity during the dinosaur era but also inspires public interest and education, particularly among younger generations visiting museum exhibits.