Genus
Valid Extinct

Thalassotitan

Longrich et al. 2022

Thalassotitan is an extinct genus of large mosasaurs that lived during the late Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous period in what is now Morocco, around 67 to 66 million years ago. The only known species is T. atrox, described in 2022 from fossils discovered in the Ouled Abdoun Basin, initially identified as coming from other genera such as Mosasaurus or Prognathodon. Hypothetical Thalassotitan specimens may have been found in other corners of the world, although researchers also note the possibility that they come from distinct, related taxa. It is considered to be close to the genera Prognathodon and Gnathomortis, together forming the tribe Prognathodontini. The prognathodontines are separated from other mosasaurs based on their massive jaws and robust teeth.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
3
Group
Mosasaures
Carnivore aquatic Terrestrial
Thalassotitan
click to enlarge
Skull of the mosasaurid squamate Thalassotitan atrox from the late Maastrichtian of Sidi Daoui, Ouled Abdoun Basin, Khouribga Province, Morocco, North Africa. © NickLongrich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Mosasauridae Family
Mosasaurinae Subfamily
Prognathodontini Unranked clade
Thalassotitan Genus
Fossil sites 3 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇦 Morocco
3
Geological formations
Couche III
3
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
3
Species (1)
Thalassotitan atrox 72 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
N. R. Longrich, N.-E. Jalil, and F. Khaldoune, O. K. Yazami, X. Pereda-Suberbiola, N. Bardet. 2022. Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco. Cretaceous Research 140:105315:1-32 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
N. R. Longrich, N.-E. Jalil, and F. Khaldoune, O. K. Yazami, X. Pereda-Suberbiola, N. Bardet. 2022. Thalassotitan atrox, a giant predatory mosasaurid (Squamata) from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco. Cretaceous Research 140:105315:1-32 DOI ↗