A team of geologists working for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has discovered a massive mosasaur fossil, estimated to be around 30-40 feet long, just south of Starkville, Mississippi. The find is significant as it’s one of the largest mosasaur fossils ever encountered in the region.
Researchers collected rock and sediment samples near a creek bed on April 15 when they stumbled upon an unusually large lumbar vertebra protruding from the clay. Lead author Jonathan Leard pulled out the vertebra, which was later confirmed to belong to Mosasaurus hoffmannii.
James Starnes, research director for the surface geology and surface mapping divisions, immediately recognized the vertebra’s shape as characteristic of a mosasaur. The team estimates that when it died, the specimen measured 30-40 feet in length, although mosasaurs typically reached lengths of up to 50 feet.
This discovery is rare due to its geological formation and the region’s fossil-rich history. While shell fossils and Ice Age remains are common in the area, mosasaur fossils are scarce, especially in large fragments like this one.
Starnes notes that the vertebra’s unique shape sets it apart from other animals, confirming its classification as a sea lizard. Mosasaurs were formidable predators with 60 dagger-like teeth in their jaws and agile swimming abilities.
Scientists believe that mosasaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/evidence-30-foot-ancient-sea-monster-found-mississippi/story?id=121949367