Scientists have identified a terrifying new species of mosasaur — a giant marine predator nicknamed “Tylosaurus Rex” — that once ruled Earth’s oceans during the Cretaceous Period. Stretching up to 43 feet long, the massive reptile has been dubbed the “T. rex of the sea” after researchers uncovered 80-million-year-old fossils in Texas revealing its brutal hunting abilities and violent behavior.
The newly classified species, known as the “King of the Tylosaurs,” belonged to a family of giant marine reptiles that lived between 66 million and 145 million years ago, the New York Post reported citing a study in the American Museum of Natural history. Researchers say the creature was nearly twice the size of today’s largest great white sharks and significantly larger than its close relative, Tylosaurus proriger.
