Giant new “T. rex” dinosaur of the seas discovered in Texas

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Researchers have unearthed a massive new type of marine dinosaur that lived over 80 million years ago. They’ve called it Tylosaurus rex, though many are already referring to it as “T. rex.”

New research from the American Museum of Natural History shows that Tylosaurus rex could reach lengths of up to 43 feet. That’s about twice the size of the largest great white sharks swimming in our oceans today, making Tylosaurus one of the biggest marine predators ever found from prehistoric times.

Despite its name suggesting a connection to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, this massive creature was actually a mosasaur – a large marine reptile, and the one you might remember from the intense scene in Jurassic World.

Researchers have discovered that this new species seems to have been even more aggressive than other tylosaurs we knew about before.

Meet Tylosaurus rex, a new toothy terror

According to researcher Ron Tykoski, the T. rex was not only massive – about twice as long as the biggest great white sharks – but also seemed to be a more fearsome predator than other mosasaurs.

Our research on remarkably well-preserved fossils from North Texas shows this species experienced a level of violent injury we haven’t observed in other Tylosaurus fossils before.

The research showed that fossils once thought to be from a different species, Tylosaurus proriger, actually came from this newly discovered predator.

Scientists discovered several distinct features in these mosasaurs, such as exceptionally strong jaws and necks, and teeth with tiny, saw-like edges – characteristics not typically found in other mosasaurs.

A fossil nicknamed “The Black Knight,” displayed at the Perot Museum, shows signs of an old injury – a broken lower jaw and a damaged snout. Scientists think these injuries were likely caused by a fight with another individual of the same species.

This finding might change how scientists categorize large mosasaurs, because older research was based on fossil collections from many years ago.

According to co-author Amelia R. Zietlow, this research shows we need to rethink what we thought we knew about how mosasaurs evolved and update the methods we use to study these famous marine reptiles.

2024 has already brought some exciting dinosaur discoveries! In addition to Tylosaurus rex, scientists in Thailand have unearthed a new, massive dinosaur species. Meanwhile, South Korea has welcomed its first new dinosaur species in fifteen years – and it’s remarkably cute!

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2026-05-22 12:48