Genus
Valid Extinct

Xenodens

Longrich et al. 2021

Xenodens is an extinct genus of mosasaurine mosasaurid known from the Late Cretaceous phosphate deposits in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, Xenodens calminechari, known from two isolated maxillae with unusual saw-like teeth. While some researchers have expressed uncertainty regarding the authenticity of the holotype specimen, additional remains and CT scans have supported the original identifications.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Mosasaures
Carnivore aquatic Terrestrial
Xenodens
click to enlarge
Rendering of CT scan segmentation of Xenodens calminechari, MHNM.KHG.331 (holotype), left maxilla; Sidi Chennane, Oulad Abdoun Basin, Morocco; Phosphates, Upper Couche III, uppermost Maastrichtian. (A), lateral view; (B), dorsal view; (C), medial view; (D), ventral view; (E), anterior view. Scale = 50 mm. © N. R. Longrich, N. Bardet, N.-E. Jalil, X. Pereda-Suberbiola, A. Schulp, M. Ghamizi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Mosasauridae Family
›
Mosasaurinae Subfamily
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Xenodens Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇦 Morocco
1
Geological formations
Couche III
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Xenodens calminechari 72 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
N. R. Longrich, N. Bardet, and A. S. Schulp, N.-E. Jalil. 2021. Xenodens calminechari gen. et sp. nov., a bizarre mosasaurid (Mosasauridae, Squamata) with shark-like cutting teeth from the upper Maastrichtian of Morocco, North Africa. Cretaceous Research 123:104764 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
N. R. Longrich, N. Bardet, and A. S. Schulp, N.-E. Jalil. 2021. Xenodens calminechari gen. et sp. nov., a bizarre mosasaurid (Mosasauridae, Squamata) with shark-like cutting teeth from the upper Maastrichtian of Morocco, North Africa. Cretaceous Research 123:104764 DOI ↗