Moanasaurus

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 holotype CD43, 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]

Moanasaurus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 77–66 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
Family:	†Mosasauridae
Tribe:	†Mosasaurini
Genus:	†Moanasaurus Wiffen, 1980
Species
Moanasaurus mangahouangae (type) Wiffen, 1980
Synonyms
Rikisaurus tehoensis Wiffen, 1990 Mosasaurus flemingi? Wiffen, 1990

Two additional species have been named, "Moanasaurus hobetsuensis" (originally named Mosasaurus hobetsuensis) and "Moanasaurus longirostris", but these are nomina nuda because they were named in a PhD thesis. The same thesis argued that Mosasaurus flemingi is a junior synonym of Moanasaurus mangahouangae.^[3]

See also

• Paleontology portal

• List of dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles of New Zealand