Tylosaurus

Tylosaurus is an extinct genus of large mosasaurs, marine reptiles that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Its long, toothless snout tip and powerful swimming adaptations distinguish it from many other mosasaurs.

Mosasaur: A mosasaur is an extinct marine squamate reptile that flourished during the Late Cretaceous. Tylosaurus belongs to this group of marine reptiles.
Mosasaur locomotion: Mosasaur locomotion was aquatic propulsion powered mainly by a laterally flexing tail and aided by paddle-shaped limbs. Tylosaurus used a powerful tail to move through the sea.
Tylosaurus proriger: Tylosaurus proriger is a large species of Tylosaurus known from Late Cretaceous North American fossils. It is the best-known species and a major source of the genus’s public image.
Edward Drinker Cope: Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist who described numerous fossil vertebrates in the nineteenth century. Cope named Tylosaurus in 1872 from fossils found in Kansas.
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event: The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was a global biological crisis about 66 million years ago that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs and many marine groups. Tylosaurus vanished in the mass extinction that ended the Cretaceous.
Squamata: Squamata is the reptile order containing lizards, snakes, and their close relatives. Mosasaur ancestry places Tylosaurus among squamates, despite its whale-like swimming form.
Caudal fin: A caudal fin is a tail fin that produces thrust or helps control movement in aquatic animals. The tail of Tylosaurus ended in a fin that enhanced swimming propulsion.
Tylosaurus pembinensis: Tylosaurus pembinensis is a species of Tylosaurus known from Late Cretaceous deposits in Manitoba, Canada. Its fossils document the genus in northern parts of the Western Interior Seaway.
Othniel Charles Marsh: Othniel Charles Marsh was an American paleontologist who described many fossil reptiles and competed with Edward Drinker Cope. Marsh’s work on mosasaurs formed part of the rivalry surrounding early fossil discoveries.
Chalk: Chalk is a soft limestone formed mainly from microscopic marine plankton remains. Some Tylosaurus fossils occur in chalk deposits that preserve ancient marine settings.

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