Tylosaurus

Kansas State Marine Fossil

Tylosaurus-Skull-Fossil.jpg

Tylosaurus fossil skull

Tylosaurus skull; marine fossil symbol of Kansas.  Photo by Lauren Anderson/Flickr (Noncommercial Use Permitted with Attribution/No Derivative Works).

Official State Marine Fossil of Kansas

Kansas designated Tylosaurus as the official state marine fossil in 2014 (Pteranodon was designated the official state flying fossil). All State Fossils

Related to modern-day monitor lizards and snakes, tylosaurus was a huge, predatory marine lizard that lived during the cretaceous period when a great inland sea covered portions of what is now Kansas.

Kansas

Images

Tylosaurus; a recreation.  Photo by Julian Johnson/Flickr (use permitted with attribution/share alike).

Tylosaurus recreation

Tylosaurus; complete fossil skeleton at Swift Current Museum in Saskatchewan.  Photo by Al/Flickr (use permitted with attribution/share alike).

Tylosaurus fossil skeleton