Genus

Valid Extinct

Tylosaurus

Marsh 1872

Etymology Lézard à portubérances (grecque)

Tylosaurus is a genus of russellosaurine mosasaur that lived about 92 to 66 million years ago during the Turonian to Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous. The genus contains at least ten validly named species, the largest of which, T. rex, measuring over 13 meters (43 ft). Its fossils have been found primarily around North Atlantic Ocean including in North America, Europe, and Africa.

Temporal range

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Paleogene

Neogene

252 201 145 66 0 Ma

PBDB occurrences

Group

Mosasaures

Carnivore aquatic Terrestrial

click to enlarge

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden boasts the largest collection of marine invertebrate fossils in Canada. Visitors to the museum not only get to see this collection, but can join a dig in search for more fossils at a 109-acre escarpment property. Photo credit: Robyn Hanson © Travel Manitoba · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗

Classification

Mosasauridae Family

›

Tylosaurinae Subfamily

›

Tylosaurus Genus

Measurements

Length

14 m ⓘ

Fossil sites 67 geolocated sites

Distribution

Top countries

🇺🇸 United States

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇨🇦 Canada

🇦🇴 Angola

🇩🇪 Germany

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇫🇷 France

🇪🇸 Spain

🇯🇴 Jordan

Geological formations

Niobrara

Pierre Shale

Itombe

Boquillas

Tar Heel

Ojinaga

Lagerdorf

Montagne des Cornes

Coachman

Bearpaw Shale

Temporal distribution

Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)

Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)

Santonian (85.7–83.6 Ma)

Coniacian (89.8–85.7 Ma)

Turonian (93.9–89.8 Ma)

Species (15)

Elliptonodon compressus nomen dubium, species not entered Tylosaurus

Mosasaurus alseni nomen dubium, species not entered Tylosaurus 86 Ma

Rhinosaurus micromus subjective synonym of Tylosaurus proriger 86 Ma

Tylosaurus bernardi 84 Ma

Tylosaurus dyspelor nomen vanum, species not entered Tylosaurus 94 Ma

Tylosaurus iembeensis 90 Ma

Tylosaurus ivoensis 84 Ma

Tylosaurus kansasensis 94 Ma

Tylosaurus laticaudus 72 Ma

Tylosaurus nepaeolicus 90 Ma

Tylosaurus pembinensis 84 Ma

Tylosaurus perlatus

Tylosaurus proriger 86 Ma

Tylosaurus saskatchewanensis 84 Ma

Tylosaurus zangerli 86 Ma

Synonyms (6)

Elliptonodon nomen dubium Tylosaurus

Elliptonodon compressus nomen dubium, species not entered Tylosaurus

Mosasaurus alseni nomen dubium, species not entered Tylosaurus

Rhamphosaurus replaced by Tylosaurus

Rhinosaurus replaced by Tylosaurus

Tylosaurus dyspelor nomen vanum, species not entered Tylosaurus

News 4

New Species of Enormous Mosasaur is Described

predator Campanian Cretaceous Late Cretaceous fossil +3

A newly named giant Tylosaurus species has been named by researchers. The new species of Tylosaurus has been erected based on fossils found in northern Texas. This enormous predator ruled the ancient seas around 80 million years ago (Campanian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous). The scientific paper was published in the Bulletin of the American

26/05/2026 everythingdinosaur

Scientists discover giant sea predator Tylosaurus rex that terrorized ancient oceans

predator fossil Mosasaurus Tylosaurus discovery +1

A colossal new sea predator named Tylosaurus rex has been identified from fossils found in Texas, revealing a brutal 43-foot-long hunter that ruled ancient oceans 80 million years ago. The discovery not only introduces one of the biggest mosasaurs ever known, but also shakes up long-standing ideas about how these marine reptiles evolved.

23/05/2026 sciencedaily

Updating our Tylosaurus Notes to Help Customers

Dinosauria Tylosaurus

With the arrival of the new CollectA Tylosaurus figure, we are busy updating our notes on this enigmatic marine reptile. The new CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Prehistoric Life Tylosaurus figure replaces an earlier Tylosaurus model. Although, the new figure is just twenty centimetres long, model collectors have praised its detail. Just as a manufacturer updates

23/05/2026 everythingdinosaur

‘T. rex’ Mosasaur Ruled the Seas 80 Million Years Ago

tooth Mosasaurus Tylosaurus new species

Paleontologists have described a gigantic new species of mosasaur -- stretching up to 13.2 m (43 feet) long and armed with serrated teeth -- and given it an unexpected name: T. rex (short for Tylosaurus rex). The post ‘T. rex’ Mosasaur Ruled the Seas 80 Million Years Ago appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

21/05/2026 sci-news

Images 17

Bibliography

Original description

J. J., Jr. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560

Bibliography (37)

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M. J. Everhart. 2005. Tylosaurus kansasensis, a new species of tylosaurine (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas, USA. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences — Geologie en Mijnbouw 84(3):231-240 DOI ↗

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Tylosaurus

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