Overview
- A peer‑reviewed study describes Tylosaurus rex as a new species and reassigns more than a dozen museum specimens previously labeled T. proriger.
- Specimens assigned to T. rex show diagnostic features not seen in T. proriger, including finely serrated teeth and skull adaptations for stronger jaw and neck muscles.
- Researchers estimate T. rex reached about 13.2 meters (43 feet) in length, making it among the largest known mosasaurs.
- The fossils reassigned to T. rex come mainly from north Texas and appear to be roughly four million years younger than typical T. proriger material from Kansas.
- The paper supplies a revised mosasaur character dataset, authors are urging further field and collection study, and several museums are preparing to relabel prominent displays to reflect the change.