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The Inland Sea chapter 4: The Main Monster

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Period: Late Cretaceous (Middle Campanian)

Date: 75,000,000 BC

Location: Western Interior Seaway





Mosasaurs are quite widespread throughout the oceans and seas of the world. There is something about the Mosasaur design that has allowed them to diversify into species of all sizes, going from the reasonably small (the earliest forms starting out semiaquatic) right up to giants like the 40-foot-long Tylosaurine called Hainosaurus. These are very much the top predators of their time – Hainosaurus is like the marine equivalent of Tyrannosaurus.
Most things that are true for coastal Mosasaurs at this time are true for open oceangoing giant Mosasaurs of this time like Hainosaurus, only on a larger scale. They have the same long bodies, double-hinged jaws and flexible skulls and are able to gulp down their prey almost whole. It is their size that is so off the scale, with one Tylosaurine, called Tylosaurus, reaching maximum lengths of 46 feet. The largest known species is Mosasaurus hoffmannii, reaching lengths of 56 feet. At that size just about everything else in the water is on their menu, including 20-foot-long Sharks, Sea Turtles and even smaller species of Mosasaur. Then, of course, there are the Animals at the surface of the water like the swimming Hesperornis and low-swooping Pteranodon – tasty snacks to a giant Mosasaur. Hainosaurus in particular is not a picky eater, but will attack just about anything.
Unlike Xiphactinus, giant Mosasaurs are not capable of sustained periods of speed and rely on short bursts of power to ambush their prey, usually at the surface. This is how most Mosasaurs hunt, although there are exceptions: the 14-foot-long Platecarpus dives deep to feed, but since it has to return to the surface rapidly to breathe afterwards, it often suffers from the bends. When a full-sized Mosasaur like Tylosaurus is on an attack run, it will barrel up from the depths, totally focused on its victim. A bone-crushing impact, bodies breaking the surface and then a struggle before the prey is weak enough to be worked into the Mosasaur’s stomach. Mosasaurs frequently lose teeth in these devastating attacks, but as with Sharks these are constantly replaced so that the predator always has a mouthful of sharp teeth.
But while giant Mosasaurs can be said to rule the Western Interior Seaway, even they have reason to fear it. Some marine Reptiles, such as Sea Turtles, return to the beach to lay eggs, but fully-aquatic Mosasaurs give birth to live young in the water. A female may have three or four offspring which, from the moment of their birth, are targets for the other larger predators that give this sea its fearful reputation. To give their young some measure of protection, giant Mosasaurs often swim together in groups. So as if a prey Animal encountering one was not bad enough, it will be more likely to bump into a whole pod of them.

The End
(Next Time: Last Killers)
Chapter 4 of The Inland Sea from the Chased by Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Predators of the Deep companion book.

CBD/SM (c) BBC

Companion Book (c) Nigel Marvin & Jasper James
© 2016 - 2024 WWCB
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