Forskare identifierar gigantiskt Tylosaurus rex-havsrovdjur från fossiler i Texas

En ny art av massivt marint kräldjur, Tylosaurus rex, har beskrivits utifrån fossiler som grävts fram i norra Texas. Den 13 meter långa mosasaurien levde för cirka 80 miljoner år sedan och rankas som en av de största i sitt slag. Forskare publicerade resultaten den 21 maj 2026.

Upptäckten leddes av forskare vid American Museum of Natural History, Perot Museum of Nature and Science i Dallas samt Southern Methodist University. Huvudförfattaren Amelia Zietlow uppgav att fossilerna ursprungligen hade felidentifierats som en annan art innan detaljerade jämförelser avslöjade distinkta drag, däribland en större storlek och fint sågtandade tänder. Holotypspecimentet, som hittades 1979 nära en reservoar utanför Dallas, finns nu utställt på Perot Museum.

Relaterade artiklar

Researchers have identified a massive new species of long-necked dinosaur in Thailand that ranks as the largest ever found in Southeast Asia. The discovery adds to the growing list of prehistoric finds in the region.

Rapporterad av AI

Researchers have described a previously unknown sauropod dinosaur from fossils found in Argentina's Chubut province. The creature, called Bicharracosaurus dionidei, reached about 20 meters in length and lived around 155 million years ago.

Researchers have uncovered evidence that octopuses from the Late Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago, grew to lengths of nearly 20 meters and hunted as top predators. The findings, based on well-preserved fossil jaws from Japan and Vancouver Island, challenge previous views of early octopus evolution. Professor Yasuhiro Iba of Hokkaido University led the study, published in Science on April 23.

Rapporterad av AI

Scientists have uncovered more than two dozen dinosaur tracks dating back 132 million years in a small rock outcrop near Knysna, South Africa. These footprints, the youngest known in southern Africa, indicate dinosaurs persisted in the region into the early Cretaceous Period. The discovery challenges previous gaps in the local fossil record following ancient lava flows.

Researchers have described a previously unknown crocodile species that lived alongside early human ancestors in Ethiopia more than 3 million years ago. The animal, formally named Crocodylus lucivenator, was likely the top predator in its ecosystem.

Rapporterad av AI

A fossil fish discovered nearly 30 years ago on New Zealand's Pitt Island has finally been fully studied after researchers recovered the original collector's missing field notebooks. The 1.2-meter specimen, identified as an ancient tarpon-like predator, was named Ikawaihere koehleri. The completed research was published recently in the New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics.

Denna webbplats använder cookies

Vi använder cookies för analys för att förbättra vår webbplats. Läs vår integritetspolicy för mer information.
Avböj