The mosasaur in question was preying on prey much larger than itself.
(Illustration) -
Pixabay / MW
Researchers have discovered a new species of mosasaur that evolved 72 to 66 million years before our era, during the Cretaceous period.
The aquatic lizard called
Xenodens calminechari
by specialists was identified thanks to a fossil discovery in Morocco.
Unlike other reptiles he encountered, he was endowed with particularly sharp teeth, says a study on the subject published in
Cretaceous Research on
Saturday.
The French, Dutch and British authors of the work compare them to the jaw of a shark.
Xenodens also means "strange teeth" in Greek and calminechari means "like a saw" in Arabic,
Geo
explains
.
The morphological specificity of this new species shows the great diversity that prevailed within mosasaurs and their adaptability.
The new mosasaur I was honored to draw - Xenodens calminechari.
Congratulations @NickLongrich @AnneSchulp Nathalie Bardet & Nour-Eddine Jalil!
This depicts mosasaurs eating a corpse of Zarafasaura, reflecting the characteristics of the beds.
There were a lot of "bloat-and-float".
pic.twitter.com/0pt03NfMyV
- Andrey Atuchin (@AndreyAtuchin) January 19, 2021
A phosphate deposit
The teeth of the reptile allowed the latter to tear pieces of flesh from living prey or corpses.
Even if its diet remains subject to debate, the
Xenodens calminechari
could in any case attack animals much larger than itself.
This mosasaur evolved in a vast marine area corresponding in part to the current location of Morocco.
The remains of the animal were found by paleontologists in one of the country's phosphate deposits.
The latter also contain many fossils.
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