Mosasaur illustration – print on A4 cardboard, 220g – artist Cristiana-Oana Băleanu

Description

Mosasaurs are an extinct group of aquatic reptiles related to modern-day snakes. In appearance, they resembled present-day Komodo dragons. They lived alongside dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period, between 145 and 65 million years ago.

Mosasaurs were apex marine predators, feeding on fish, birds, ammonites, other aquatic reptiles (including smaller mosasaurs), and even dinosaurs that ventured into the water. Numerous ammonite shells have been found bearing mosasaur bite marks. Like snakes, mosasaurs had flexible jaw ligaments that allowed them to open their mouths extraordinarily wide, enabling them to swallow prey whole.

The specimens of this group of reptiles could reach between 1 and 17 meters in length, depending on the species.
The teeth are found especially in Morocco; they can measure between 1 and 8 cm in length and have a thick base that gives them stability and strength.