Taniwhasaurus

Taniwhasaurus in a live reconstruction

• New Zealand
• Antarctic
• Japan

Taniwhasaurus (Maori Taniwha, a dragon-like water monster, .. Sauros Gr = lizard (syn. Tylosaurus haumuriensis ) ) is a genus of mosasaur from the Upper Cretaceous time. The half -meter-long skull of the type specimen was found at Kaikoura on the South Island of New Zealand and described as Taniwhasaurus oweni. The entire animal was probably six feet long. The skull of the previously designated as haumuriensis Tylosaurus fossil is 1.1 meters long and the animal probably reached a length of twelve meters.

Features

Taniwhasaurus was a great Tylosaurinae, at the end of the mandible was typical of the subfamily toothless battering ram. The teeth were laterally flattened, ungesägt and had front and rear sharp edges. The palate teeth were very small. Taniwhasaurus was closely related to Hainosaurus.

Species

So far, three species have been described: T. oweni, from New Zealand, T. antarcticus from Antarctica and T. mikasaensis from Japan. Taniwhasaurus making it the only known Tylosaurinae, who also lived on the southern hemisphere.