"Dad, that thing is really big. Although it's not as big as the Argentinosaurus, it's not small either!" Xiaowu said excitedly.
"Indeed, otherwise how could he be the overlord of the ocean!" Ye Fan said.
"Dad, can I have that piece of meat to feed the Mosasaur?" Xiao Wu said, looking at his father Ye Fan with eyes full of anticipation.
"Okay!" Ye Fan nodded and looked at his son with a smile.
Anyway, there's nothing wrong with him being with Xiaowu.
Besides, it's fine as long as you stand further away from here.
"It's really great!" Xiaowu cheered!
"Here, throw it down. Don't stand too far outside!" Ye Fan said, and picked up a piece of meat weighing one pound and gave it to his son.
Xiaowu took it in his hand, his eyes full of excitement.
Then, the next second, he threw the piece of dried meat in his hand away.
The huge Mosasaur once again rushed out of the sea and swallowed it with its big mouth with fangs.
"Dad, I succeeded, I succeeded!" The little guy was extremely happy.
"Yes, you succeeded. My son is awesome!" Ye Fan did not hesitate to praise him.
"It's because of my dad's awesomeness that I can succeed!" the little guy said excitedly.
"You kid, you will learn to be humble now!" Ye Fan said with a smile.
"Dad, tell me about this Mosasaur. I'll feed it later. There's no rush!" Xiaowu said.
Now, he really wants to know about the Mosasaur.
"Okay, then dad will tell you!" Ye Fan said, pulling Xiao Wu to sit on the stone together.
Xiao Wu sat properly, looking at his father Ye Fan seriously, waiting for him to speak.
Ye Fan looked at the little guy's extremely cute appearance and laughed.
Mosasaurs were the largest apex predators in the Mesozoic oceans. An adult Mosasaur Hoffmannii reached a length of 15 meters, with the largest recognized individual reaching 17 meters in length, with a jaw length of 1.71 meters. Weights vary widely between reconstructions. The two most popular versions are: the "lizard-like" version, estimated at 13-16 tons, similar in size to a Komodo dragon and commonly used in China; and the "robust" version, estimated at 17-24 tons, based on the more recent reconstruction.
Although mosasaurs have a short history (evolving from terrestrial lizards, they only appeared in the middle and late Cretaceous period and rapidly proliferated before becoming extinct along with the dinosaurs), they have been able to ride the wave of change, largely due to the ecological niche vacancy caused by the extinction of pliosaurs and ichthyosaurs.
"Mosaur refers to a genus of the family Mosasauridae. They are a group of carnivorous marine reptiles with a huge head, strong jaws, and sharp teeth. They resemble crocodiles with flippers."
"Mosaurs roamed shallow coastal waters and belong to the Mosasaur family, suborder Squamata, superfamily Varanoidea. This family includes nearly 20 known genera, the largest of which exceeded 10 meters in length. They had slender bodies, medium-sized heads, short, thick necks, and tails as long as their bodies. When moving, their bodies twisted like snakes. Their limbs were fin-shaped, acting as rudders. Both their front and rear legs had multiple digits, with some possessing up to 10. Their teeth were large, conical, and sharp. They were large, ferocious, and aggressive aquatic animals of their time."
"Warm ocean waters played a significant role in the evolution of mosasaurs. The abundant food sources in these waters provided an excellent living environment for them, which in turn enabled them to embark on their path to ocean dominance. Over a period of 5 million years, mosasaurs decimated their competitors in the oceans. It can be said that they were the most successful predators among marine life and the dominant species in the ancient oceans."
"Dad, and Mosasaur are so awesome!" Xiaowu said excitedly.
"Of course, how can you become the overlord of the ocean if you are not powerful!" Ye Fan touched the little guy's head, his eyes full of doting.
"The smallest known mosasaur was 3 to 3.5 meters long and probably lived in shallow coastal waters, using its bulbous teeth to catch mollusks and sea urchins. The largest mosasaur was Hoffmann's Mosasaur, which reached a maximum length of 17.3 meters and a maximum weight of 16 tons."
Compared to other mosasaurs, Mosasaurs had a more robust head. Because the joints between the jaw bones were tightly connected, Mosasaurs were unable to swallow their prey whole, as earlier mosasaurs, such as Tylosaurs, could. Instead, their teeth were sharp, conical, and curved like barbs. Their jaws could generate tremendous torque when they bit together, capable of severing their prey in half.
It also had a ring of teeth inside its upper jaw for dragging food. Scientists speculate that the mosasaur probably bit or tore its prey into pieces of appropriate size before swallowing it, a feeding method similar to that of the Komodo dragon, but much more bloody.
"Mosaurs had very poor vision, but their sense of smell and hearing were very developed. The tongue they inherited from their ancestors is still their main organ of smell; their ears are specially structured and can amplify sound 38 times.
Some believe, based on its head fossils, that Mosasaur used a set of nerves on the sides of its upper jaw and snout to detect pressure waves emitted by its prey, thereby determining its exact location, much like killer whales use sound for location.
"Mosaurs breathe with lungs and can stay in the water for a long time with one breath." Ye Fan said.
"Isn't that the same as us humans!" The little guy tilted his head and murmured.
Mosasaur had a long, barrel-shaped body and a powerful, highly hydrodynamic tail. Its forelimbs had five toes and its hind limbs had four toes. These limbs had evolved into flippers, with the forelimbs larger than the hind limbs. These short, thick, and powerful flippers allowed it to change direction quickly in the water, greatly increasing its agility.
Its tail is half its body length and is broad, flat, and shaped like a vertical paddle. The tail vertebrae above and below have expanded bony vertebrae, forming a powerful swimming tool.
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