June 25, 2026

Holotype of Tylosaurus rex, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Texas (Photo Gary Todd)

An article published in the “Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History” reports the identification of a new species of mosasaur, named Tylosaurus rex because its characteristics indicate it was a massive and fierce predator. A team of researchers reexamined Tylosaurus fossils previously attributed to other species of this taxonomic genus of mosasaurs, concluding that some specimens had anatomical characteristics different enough to warrant assignment to a new species.