Genus
Valid Extinct

Kaikaifilu

Otero et al. 2017

Kaikaifilu is an extinct genus of large mosasaurs that lived during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous, in what is now northern Antarctica. The only species known, K. hervei, was described in 2017 from an incomplete specimen discovered in the López de Bertodano Formation, in Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The taxon is named in reference to Coi Coi-Vilu, a reptilian ocean deity of the Mapuche cosmology. Early observations of the holotype classify it as a member of the subfamily Tylosaurinae. However, later observations note that several characteristics show that this attribution is problematic.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
2
Group
Mosasaures
Carnivore aquatic Terrestrial
Kaikaifilu
click to enlarge
Kaikaifilu pectorals, done on inkscape. Based on pictures and diagrams from "Kaikaifilu hervei gen. et sp. nov., a new large mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Maastrichtian of Antarctica. Cretaceous Research". © Bubblesorg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Mosasauridae Family
Tylosaurinae Subfamily
Kaikaifilu Genus
Fossil sites 2 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇦🇶 Antarctica
2
Geological formations
Lopez de Bertodano
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
2
Species (1)
Kaikaifilu hervei 72 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
R. A. Otero, S. Soto-Acuna, and D. Rubilar-Rogers, C. S. Gutstein. 2017. Kaikaifilu hervei gen. et sp. nov., a new large mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Maastrichtian of Antarctica. Cretaceous Research 70:209-225 DOI ↗
Bibliography (2)
R. A. Otero, S. Soto-Acuna, and D. Rubilar-Rogers, C. S. Gutstein. 2017. Kaikaifilu hervei gen. et sp. nov., a new large mosasaur (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Maastrichtian of Antarctica. Cretaceous Research 70:209-225 DOI ↗
E. W. A. Mulder. 1999. Transatlantic latest Cretaceous mosasaurs (Reptilia, Lacertilia) from the Maastrichtian type area and New Jersey. Geologie en Mijnbouw 78:281-300