Post by Grey on Feb 14, 2014 20:40:06 GMT 5
As with crocodilians, it became diffcult to determine which was the largest mosasaur. The main candidates are usually Mosasaurus, Tylosaurus, Hainosaurus and Prognathodon.
Here's few quotes I have from mosasaurs researchers, Everhart and Lindgren respectively.
The 'published' lengths of Hainosaurus (and Mosasaurus to a certain extent) are all estimates based on partial specimens. The length of mosasaurs have always been over-estimated.(Some early estimates reached 80 or 100 feet!)
I haven't seen the paper regarding a new length estimate for Hainosaurus.. but I would think 40 feet is more realistic...
Mosasaurus and Tylosaurus/Hainosaurus were most likely the largest of the mosasaurs (at least based on what we know today).... Prognathodon was possibly more massive, but shorter in length.
The 17.6 m length is just an estimate.. as I mentioned earlier, based on a fragmentary specimen... For various reasons, the length of mosasaurs has been generously over-estimated since their discovery....
I would think that a manixmum length of 15 m is much more realistic (and better supported by the fossil evidence) ... with a weight of about 5000 KG (11,000 lb or 5.5 tons) -- based on my calculations from the water displacement of a realistic mosasaur model.
As far as I know, no one has looked into the maximum length/size of mosasaurs (at least not for the last few years). My guess is that the largest taxa reached about 10-12 m, on rare occassions perhaps up to 15 m, but that is just a guess. They were unboubtedly top predators during at least the Campanian and Maastrichtian, but there has not been any interest in trying to establish maximum size.
As of now, I'm leading toward Hainosaurus as the largest and most macropredaceous mosasaur.
blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2012/03/07/gigantic-shark-toothed-hainosaurus/
Here's few quotes I have from mosasaurs researchers, Everhart and Lindgren respectively.
The 'published' lengths of Hainosaurus (and Mosasaurus to a certain extent) are all estimates based on partial specimens. The length of mosasaurs have always been over-estimated.(Some early estimates reached 80 or 100 feet!)
I haven't seen the paper regarding a new length estimate for Hainosaurus.. but I would think 40 feet is more realistic...
Mosasaurus and Tylosaurus/Hainosaurus were most likely the largest of the mosasaurs (at least based on what we know today).... Prognathodon was possibly more massive, but shorter in length.
The 17.6 m length is just an estimate.. as I mentioned earlier, based on a fragmentary specimen... For various reasons, the length of mosasaurs has been generously over-estimated since their discovery....
I would think that a manixmum length of 15 m is much more realistic (and better supported by the fossil evidence) ... with a weight of about 5000 KG (11,000 lb or 5.5 tons) -- based on my calculations from the water displacement of a realistic mosasaur model.
As far as I know, no one has looked into the maximum length/size of mosasaurs (at least not for the last few years). My guess is that the largest taxa reached about 10-12 m, on rare occassions perhaps up to 15 m, but that is just a guess. They were unboubtedly top predators during at least the Campanian and Maastrichtian, but there has not been any interest in trying to establish maximum size.
As of now, I'm leading toward Hainosaurus as the largest and most macropredaceous mosasaur.
blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/2012/03/07/gigantic-shark-toothed-hainosaurus/
