Moanasaurus

Moanasaurus Temporal range: Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	†Mosasauria
Superfamily:	†Mosasauroidea
Family:	†Mosasauridae
Tribe:	†Mosasaurini
Genus:	†Moanasaurus Wiffen, 1980
Species
M. mangahouangae ( type ) Wiffen, 1980
Synonyms
Rikisaurus tehoensis Wiffen, 1990 Mosasaurus flemingi Wiffen, 1990

Moanasaurus (From Māori moana "sea" and Greek sauros "lizard"; meaning "Sea Lizard") was a genus of mosasaur from the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossil remains have been discovered in the North Island of New Zealand. Moanasaurus was a very large mosasaurine known originally from a disarticulated skull, vertebrae, ribs and flipper bones. The skull measures 78 cm (31 in) in length, which shows that Moanasaurus was one of the largest in the subfamily of Mosasaurinae.^[1] Researchers argue that some Antarctic Mosasaurus remains (including a "large, fragmentary skull") may be attributed to this genus.^[2]

See also

• List of dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles of New Zealand

References

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Moanasaurus.

• Oceans of Kansas