{"product_id":"tylosaurus-rex","title":"Tylosaurus rex","description":"\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e was\u003c\/strong\u003e a gigantic mosasaurid from the Late Cretaceous, formally described in 2026 from fossils recovered in Texas, within deposits associated with the ancient Western Interior Seaway of North America. This species belongs to the genus \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a group of large marine squamates —distantly related to monitor lizards and snakes, not dinosaurs— that dominated many oceanic ecosystems during the Late Cretaceous. The specific name \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003erex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, meaning “king”, refers both to its enormous size and to its role as an apex predator in the Campanian seas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe original study describes \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as a new tylosaurine species from the Campanian of Texas, distinguished from other members of the genus by a unique combination of anatomical features, some of them related to particularly powerful jaw and neck musculature. The specimens assigned to this species reach length estimates greater than those of many other tylosaurs, approaching 13 metres in the largest known individuals, placing it among the largest mosasaurids documented to date.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLike other species of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, this animal had a streamlined body, limbs modified into flippers, a powerful tail for propulsion, and an elongated skull with the characteristic toothless rostral projection at the front of the snout. This feature, typical of tylosaurines, gave the skull a highly recognizable profile and may have been related to attack or ramming behaviour. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the combination of large body size, robust skull, powerful jaws, and cutting dentition suggests a predator specialized in capturing large prey, including fish, turtles, plesiosaurs, other mosasaurs, and large marine vertebrates.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne of the most notable features of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the presence of finely serrated teeth, a trait that is uncommon among many mosasaurs and particularly relevant for interpreting its feeding ecology. These serrations, together with reinforced cranial and cervical structures, indicate an efficient bite capable of slicing through tissue and processing large prey. The species description was based on more than a dozen previously known and re-examined fossils, allowing researchers to recognize that some specimens traditionally assigned to other species of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e actually represented a distinct, large-bodied form.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e inhabited the warm seas that covered much of North America around 80 million years ago, during the Campanian. In this marine ecosystem, it shared its environment with ammonites, bony fish, sharks, sea turtles, plesiosaurs, and other mosasaurs, probably occupying one of the highest levels of the food chain. Its anatomy reflects the extreme specialization of mosasaurids as reptiles fully adapted to aquatic life: powerful swimmers, active predators, and animals capable of travelling long distances in open water.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis replica represents \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as a large marine predator of the Late Cretaceous, with an elongated and hydrodynamic body, a powerful skull, a characteristic rostral snout, functional flippers, and the imposing presence expected from one of the largest known tylosaurines. Its reconstruction integrates the information currently available from the scientific description of the species, avoiding confusion with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTylosaurus proriger\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and highlighting the traits that justify its recognition as a distinct form: greater robustness, exceptional size, serrated dentition, and cranial adaptations associated with a powerful bite.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"isSelectedEnd\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApproximate measurements of \u003cem\u003eTylosaurus rex\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScale 1:72 — Complete model\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLength: 131 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeight: 68 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidth: 98 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSnout-to-tail length: 181 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScale 1:35 — Assembly kit\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLength: 268 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHeight: 139 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidth: 202 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSnout-to-tail length: 372 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dino and Dog","offers":[{"title":"1:72 \/ Sin imprimar","offer_id":54859169693964,"sku":"DC-1444-135-SINI","price":41.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1:72 \/ Imprimado","offer_id":54859169726732,"sku":"DC-1444-135-IMPRI","price":46.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1:72 \/ Pintado a mano","offer_id":54859169759500,"sku":"DC-1444-135-PINTA","price":147.6,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1:35 \/ Sin imprimar","offer_id":54859191353612,"sku":"DC-1445-135-SINI","price":79.9,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1:35 \/ Imprimado","offer_id":54859191386380,"sku":"DC-1445-135-IMPRI","price":91.9,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"1:35 \/ Pintado a mano","offer_id":54859191419148,"sku":"DC-1445-135-PINTA","price":229.6,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/1106\/7660\/files\/Tylosaurusrex_3.jpg?v=1783505815","url":"https:\/\/dinosauriacreatures.com\/en\/products\/tylosaurus-rex","provider":"Dinosauria Creatures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}