A newly identified ocean predator from prehistoric Texas is giving the name "T. rex" a whole new meaning. Scientists say a giant mosasaur that lived about 80 million years ago was one of the largest of its kind — and possibly one of the most aggressive.
The marine reptile, now named Tylosaurus rex, stretched up to 43 feet long and appears to have been built for brute force in ancient seas.
As reported in Science Daily, researchers from three institutions — the American Museum of Natural History, Dallas' Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Southern Methodist University — described the massive new mosasaur species based largely on fossils found in northern Texas. Their study was published in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
The animal, Tylosaurus rex — or T. rex — lived in the Cretaceous era and was among the very largest mosasaurs yet found. Lead author Amelia Zietlow began looking into the fossils after realizing one museum specimen may have been wrongly labeled as Tylosaurus proriger, a different species.
After comparing the Texas fossil with Harvard's original T. proriger specimen, the team concluded that the remains belonged to a separate species. The Texas reptile was bigger, came from another place and period, and had finely serrated teeth — a trait rarely seen in mosasaurs.
Researchers said the name honors paleontologist John Thurmond, who informally referred to giant Texas tylosaurs as "sea tyrant" in the late 1960s. The identification suggests that some museum specimens may have been classified incorrectly for years.
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According to the researchers, fossils once identified as T. proriger — among them "Bunker" at the University of Kansas and "Sophie" at the Yale Peabody Museum — are now being reassigned to T. rex.
Scientists believe T. rex had especially strong adaptations in its jaw and neck muscles and was a predator built for strength and aggression. One specimen known as "The Black Knight" appears to preserve signs of violent combat, including a missing snout tip and a fractured lower jaw that researchers think were likely inflicted by another member of the same species.
The research team has already taken a major next step by creating a revised dataset and a new evolutionary framework for tylosaurs. That framework could help scientists revisit older studies and reexamine fossil collections with fresh eyes. Fossils collected years ago can reveal new species when researchers compare them carefully and question earlier assumptions.
Museum-goers may eventually see exhibit labels change as institutions incorporate the revised classification of these giant marine reptiles.
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The discovery underscores the scientific value of regional fossil sites in places like Texas, where previously collected specimens continue to help researchers better understand ancient ecosystems and the creatures that dominated them.
"Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes the mosasaurs, apparently," Zietlow said. Co-author Ron Tykoski said, "Besides being huge, roughly twice the length of the largest great white sharks, T. rex appeared to be a much meaner animal than other mosasaurs."
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