mosasaurus bite force

Megalodon only had bite force, size, and bulk. glycys'with M. conodon and the Pacific taxa belonging to different genera and M. beaugei being a synonym[k] of M. Its tapered jaw measured around 4ft in length and could reach opening widths of around 3ft. [9] These problems were addressed in Street's 2016 thesis in an updated phylogenetic analysis. [129][130] The last fossils of Mosasaurus, which include those of M. hoffmannii and indeterminate species, occur up to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (K-Pg boundary). [38] Based on this ratio, Grigoriev (2014) used the largest lower jaw attributed to M. hoffmannii (CCMGE 10/2469, also known as the Penza specimen; measuring 171 centimeters (67in) in length) to estimate a maximum length of 17.1 meters (56ft). [82] This adaptation would have given several advantages to Mosasaurus, including increased stamina when foraging across larger areas and pursuing prey. [74], Bell's study served as a precedent for later studies that mostly left the systematics of Mosasaurus unchanged,[7][9] although some later studies have recovered the sister group to Mosasaurus and Plotosaurus to instead be Eremiasaurus or Plesiotylosaurus depending on the method of data interpretation used,[71][72][75] with at least one study also recovering M. missouriensis to be the most basal species of the genus instead of M. [j][5] Street & Caldwell (2017) was derived from Street's 2016 doctoral thesis, which contained a phylogenetic study proposing the constraining of Mosasaurus into four speciesM. [77] However, the study used a method unorthodox to traditional phylogenetic studies on mosasaur species because its focus was on the relationships of entire squamate groups rather than mosasaur classification. 1 / 5. [9], Mosasaurus may have taught their offspring how to hunt, as supported by a fossil nautiloid Argonautilus catarinae with bite marks from two conspecific mosasaurs, one being from a juvenile and the other being from an adult. Tylosaurus was the third new genus of mosasaur to be described from North America behind Clidastes and Platecarpus and the first in Kansas. The 50 ft (15 meter) long Jurassic era marine reptile had a crushing 33,000 lbs (15 metric tons) per square inch bite force, the Natural History Museum of Oslo University said of the new find on . [10] In M. missouriensis, the bar is robust and does not constrict. [126], Mosasaurus lived alongside other large predatory mosasaurs also considered apex predators, most prominent among them being the tylosaurines and Prognathodon. [54], M. missouriensis and M. lemonnieri are smaller than M. hoffmannii but are known from more complete fossils. Fossil vertebrae from the layer were found with fractures formed after death. [13][20] In 1829, Gideon Mantell added the specific epithet hoffmannii, in honor to Hoffmann. It has been pointed out how 13C can be influenced by other factors in an animal's lifestyle, such as diet and diving behavior. In M. hoffmannii, the top margin of the dentary is slightly curved upwards;[5] this is also the case with the largest specimens of M. lemonnieri, although more typical skulls of the species have a near-perfectly straight jawline. [50], Brain casts made from fossils of Mosasaurus show that the olfactory bulb and vomeronasal organ, which both control the function of smell, are poorly developed and lack some structures in M. hoffmannii; this indicates the species had a poor sense of smell. [47][48][49], The type species, M. hoffmannii, is one of the largest marine reptiles known,[50][46] though knowledge of its skeleton remains incomplete as it is mainly known from skulls. [80] Mosasaurus was likely endothermic and maintained a constant body temperature independent of the external environment. The mosasaur is disadvantaged in almost every aspect. [50] During the late Maastrichtian, global sea levels dropped, draining the continents of their nutrient-rich seaways and altering circulation and nutrient patterns, and reducing the number of available habitats for Mosasaurus. Pretty much it. In addition, they exclusively feature M. conodon, Halisaurus platyspondylus and Prognathodon rapax. Second, the species was overshadowed by the more famous and history-rich type species. The teeth were largely consistent in size and shape with only minor differences throughout the jaws (homodont) except for the smaller pterygoid teeth. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages of the Late Cretaceous. Most mosasaur teeth are cone shaped and do not have the cutting edges typical of shark or theropod teeth. [24] In 1818, a fossil from Monmouth County, New Jersey became the first North American specimen to be correctly recognized as a Mosasaurus by scientists of the time. These localities include the Midwest and East Coast of the United States, Canada, Europe, Turkey, Russia, the Levant, the African coastline from Morocco[101] to South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, and Antarctica. At the time, Europe was a scattering of islands with most of the modern continental landmass being underwater. It was given a boxy head, nostrils at the side of the skull, large volumes of soft tissue around the eyes, lips reminiscent of monitor lizards, scales consistent with those in large monitors like the Komodo dragon, and a flipper. The genus adapted by accessing new habitats in more open waters. In M. lemonnieri, these olfactory organs, although still small, are better developed and have some components lacking in M. hoffmannii. [9], Nevertheless, competitive engagement evidently could not be entirely avoided. This, along with signs of healing, indicates that the fractures were not imminently fatal. This concept was revolutionary at the time and helped support the then-developing ideas of extinction. Lingham-Soliar may have misapplied the ratio. Mosasaurus was a predator possessing excellent vision to compensate for its poor sense of smell, and a high metabolic rate suggesting it was endothermic ("warm-blooded"), an adaptation only found in mosasaurs among squamates. English Mastiff (500 PSI) The largest dogs in the world, mastiffs can tip the scales at over 200 poundsand these canines have bites to match, wielding a force of 500 pounds per square inch. Did mosasaurus actually have a stronger bite force than t rex? [109] Mosasaurus continued to be the dominant genus in the seaway until the end of the Navesinkan Age at the end of the Cretaceous. [93], Avascular necrosis has been reported by many studies to be present in every examined specimen of M. lemonnieri and M. ago. It did not take into account Golduss' 1845 study of M. missouriensis which instead called for a narrower skull, nostrils at the top of the skull, and amphibious terrestrial limbs (the latter being incorrect in modern standards[44]). saturator. [102], The northern Tethyan margin was located around the paleolatitudes of 3040N, consisting of what is now the European continent, Turkey, and New Jersey. The teeth of P. saturator are much more robust than those of M. hoffmannii and were specifically equipped for preying on robust prey like turtles. Megalodon is coming into the ring with a brutal bite force of 275,000 kPa. [50], In modern lizards, the mechanical build of the skull is characterized by a four-pivot geometric structure in the cranium that allows flexible movement of the jaws, possibly to allow the animals to better position them and prevent prey escape when hunting. [112] Contemporaneous fauna included sea turtles such as Protostega[114] and Archelon;[120] many species of sea birds including Baptornis,[117] Ichthyornis, and Halimornis; sharks such as the mackerel sharks Cretalamna, Squalicorax, Pseudocorax, and Serratolamna, the goblin shark Scapanorhynchus, the sand tiger Odontaspis, and the sawfish-like Ischyrhiza; and bony fish such as Enchodus, Protosphyraena, Stratodus, and the ichthyodectids Xiphactinus and Saurodon. Paleontologists believe its diet would have included virtually any animal; it likely preyed on bony fish, sharks, cephalopods, birds, and other marine reptiles including sea turtles and other mosasaurs. [61][94][95] In examinations of M. conodon fossils from Alabama and New Jersey and M. lemonnieri fossils from Belgium, Rothschild and Martin in 2005 observed that the condition affected between 3-17% of the vertebrae in the mosasaurs' spines. Mosasaurus was smarter, had more fighting experience, was more agile, and longer. [7][36] Despite being the best anatomically represented species, M. lemonnieri was largely ignored in scientific literature. Scale bar is 50 mm in B and 20 mm in D. C: Alleged "mosasaur bite marks" in body chamber of ammonite (Placenticeras meeki ) (RTMP89.42.36), Bearpaw Formation, Late Cretaceous, St. Mary River . [35][33] Further mining of the quarry in subsequent years uncovered many additional well-preserved fossils, including multiple partial skeletons which collectively represented nearly the entire skeleton of the species. Lingham-Soliar described this pit as resembling a tooth mark from a possible attacking mosasaur. A third hypothesis proposes that the layer is a lag deposit of Cretaceous sediments forced out by a strong impact by a tsunami, and what remained was subsequently refilled with Cenozoic fossils. [61], Another case of presumed niche partitioning between Mosasaurus and Prognathodon from the Bearpaw Formation in Alberta was documented in a 2014 study by Konishi and colleagues. However, it is possible that such specimens may actually represent Moanasaurus, although this depends on the outcome of a pending revision of the genus. ;[58] Paul (2022) estimated an individual of that size to weigh 700 kilograms (1,500lb). This rigid but highly shock-absorbent structure of the cranium likely allowed a powerful bite force. [83][84][85][86], Mosasaurus had relatively large eye sockets[50] with large sclerotic rings occupying much of the sockets' diameter;[36] the latter is correlated with eye size and suggests it had good vision. [50] The texture of the bones is virtually identical with in modern whales, which indicates Mosasaurus possessed a high range of aquatic adaptation and neutral buoyancy as seen in cetaceans. Mosasaurus In comparison, the Mosasaurus had a bite force of around 13,000-16,000 lbs of pressure per square inch. The study estimated that an M. hoffmannii individual with a skull measuring more than 145cm (57in) would have been up to or more than 11 meters (36ft) in length and weighed 10 metric tons (11 short tons) in body mass. Both specimens show signs of deep bacterial infection alongside the fractures; some bacteria may have spread to nearby damaged teeth and caused tooth decay, which may have entered deeper tissue from prior post-traumatic or secondary infections. [41][42], Scientists during the early and mid-1800s initially imagined Mosasaurus as an amphibious marine reptile with webbed feet and limbs for walking. Fossil evidence suggests Mosasaurus inhabited much of the Atlantic Ocean and the seaways adjacent to it. Of the mosasaurs, Globidens phosphaticus is the characteristic species of the southern province; in the African and Arabian domain, Halisaurus arambourgi and 'Platecarpus ptychodon'[r][102] were also common mosasaurs alongside Globidens. [42] The number of prisms in Mosasaurus teeth can slightly vary between tooth types and general patterns differ between species[g]M. Stomach contents of P. overtoni included turtles and ammonites, providing another example of a diet specialized for harder prey. Mosasaurus is a genus of large aquatic carnivorous lizard from the Late Cretaceous about 70-66 million years ago. [50] The upper jaws in most species are robustly built, broad, and deep except in M. conodon, where they are slender. [49], The forelimbs of Mosasaurus are wide and robust. The fossils were found in association with fossils of Squalicorax, Enchodus, and various ammonites within a uniquely fossil-rich bed at the base of the Hornerstown Formation known as the Main Fossiliferous Layer. [36] Other mosasaurs found in the European side of the northern Tethyan margin include smaller genera such as Halisaurus, Plioplatecarpus, and Platecarpus; the shell-crusher Carinodens; and larger mosasaurs of similar trophic levels including Tylosaurus bernardi and four other species of Prognathodon. [63], The dentition was thecodont (tooth roots deeply cemented within the jaw bone). Smarter, had more fighting experience, was more agile, and bulk 1,500lb.. Likely allowed a powerful bite force of 275,000 kPa ( 1,500lb ) mosasaur! Possible attacking mosasaur in Kansas fighting experience, was more agile, and bulk mosasaur teeth are cone shaped do. More famous and history-rich type species ] Despite being the best anatomically represented species, missouriensis! 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