Overview
- The peer‑reviewed description of Tylosaurus rex was published May 21, 2026, in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
- Researchers estimate the species reached about 13.2 meters (43 feet) long and identified finely serrated teeth and skeletal features that indicate exceptionally strong jaw and neck muscles.
- More than a dozen specimens long cataloged as Tylosaurus proriger have been reassigned to T. rex, including the Perot Museum holotype discovered near Dallas in 1979 and high‑profile displays like 'Bunker' at the University of Kansas and 'Sophie' at Yale.
- The study presents a substantially revised character dataset for mosasaur phylogeny and calls for a broad reexamination of evolutionary relationships that have depended on an older, minimally changed matrix.
- The work highlights the research value of museum and amateur collections, and it is likely to prompt further museum relabeling, renewed field and collection studies, and follow‑up research into mosasaur diversity and behavior.