Mosasaurus Facts for Kids

22 Mosasaurus Facts For Kids

1. The Mosasaurus was a squamate reptile that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period.
2. Mosasaurus is not a dinosaur, it is a scaled reptile that is a member of the Squamata order.
3. The Mosasaurus is part of a group of dinosaurs known as Mosasaurs in the Mosasauroidea superfamily.
4. Mosasaurus was a large aquatic predator.
5. The Mosasaurus was carnivorous and ate other marine animals.
6. You pronounce the name Mosasaurus by saying: “mo-SAS-oh-sore-us”.
7. The meaning of the squamate name Mosasaurus is “lizard of the Meuse River”.
8. There are five species of Mosasaurus recognized by paleontologists.
9. The type species for the Mosasaurus is Mosasaurus hoffmannii.
10. The other four species of Mosasaurus are M. missouriensis Harlan, M. conodon, M. lemonnieri, and M. beaugei.
11. The first discovery of a Mosasaurus specimen was in a chalk quarry in the Netherlands in 1764.
12. English paleontologist William Conybeare first scientifically described the Mosasaurus in 1829.
13. The holotype specimen for Mosasaurus is MNHN AC 9648.
14. The Mosasaurus was estimated to have a maximum body length of 50 feet.
15. The Mosasaurus was estimated to have a maximum body weight of 15 tons.
16. The lifespan of the Mosasaurus is estimated to have been up to 100 years.
17. The swimming speed of the Mosasaurus is estimated to have been around 30 miles per hour.
18. When the first Mosasaurus fossil remains were discovered in the late 18th century many scientists thought they were from a whale or crocodile.
19. The Mosasaurus had a whale-shaped elongated body, two pairs of flippers, and a large mouth with sharp teeth.
20. Mosasaurus was a marine aquatic reptile and lived throughout much of the Atlantic Ocean, but recent fossil discoveries suggest it may have inhabited Oceans around the world.
21. The Mosasaurus was most likely an apex predator that was very active and hunted a wide variety of marine animals.
22. Paleontologists believe the Mosasaurus had live births like modern-day whales.

Mosasaurus Pictures

There is a saying that claims a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is true then the below images will help you with your research on the Mosasaurus Below you will find three pictures related to the Mosasaurus dinosaur. These pictures should give you a bettering understanding of the Mosasaurus and what it may have looked like.

A picture of a Mosasaurus in the water.

A picture of a Mosasaurus fossil skeleton.

A picture of a Mosasaurus jaw and teeth.