Category: Prehistoric Creatures

Tylosaurus Tylosauruswas a mosasaur, a large, predatory marine lizard closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes. A distinguishing characteristic ofTylosaurusis its elongated, cylindrical premaxilla (snout) from which it takes its name and which may have been used to ram and stun prey and also in intraspecific combat. Early restorations showingTylosauruswith a dorsal crest []

Therapsids Therapsidais a group ofsynapsidsthat includes mammals and their ancestors.Many of the traits today seen as unique to mammals had their origin within early therapsids, including having their four limbs extend vertically beneath the body, as opposed to the sprawling posture of other reptiles. The earliest fossil attributed to Therapsida isTetraceratops insignisfrom theLowerPermian. Therapsids evolved []

Saltopus Saltopus (hopping foot) is a genus of very small bipedal clade of archosaurian reptiles that include the dinosaurs and their most immediate relatives, containing the single species S. elginensis from the late Triassic period of Scotland. It is one of the most famous Elgin Reptiles. Saltopus elginensis is known only from a single partial []

Mosasaurus Mosasaurus(lizard of the Meuse River) is a genus of mosasaurs, carnivorous aquatic lizards. It existed during the Maastrichtian age of the lateCretaceousperiod, between about 70 and 66million years ago, in western Europe and North America. The name means Meuse lizard, as the first specimen was found near the Meuse River (LatinMosa+ Greeksauroslizard). What were []