Name:
Komensaurus
(Komen lizard).
Phonetic: Ko-men-sore-us.
Named By: M. W. Caldwell & A. Palci
- 2007.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata,
Mosasauroidea.
Species: K. carrolli (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Approximately 1 meter long.
Known locations: Slovenia, Komen.
Time period: Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and post
cranial skeleton.
Komensaurus was a basal mosasaur that was similar to other primitive forms such as Dallasaurus and Vallecillosaurus which are currently known from North America. Together these mosasaurs show that while they were primitive in form, the first mosasaurs were still capable of crossing wide expanses of ocean to spread out into new locations.
Further reading
- A new basal mosasauroid from the Cenomanian (U. Cretaceous) of
Slovenia with a review of mosasauroid phylogeny and evolution. -
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 27(4):863-880. - M. W. Caldwell
& A. Palci - 2007.