Giant predatory sea lizards known as Kaikaifilu thrived in Antarctica some 66 million years ago.
This was revealed by paleontologists who said these Mosasaurs had a length of 10 meters and reigned as the largest marine predator at the terminal phase of the dinosaur age.
At that time, Antarctica's ecosystem was warmer, and these sea lizards preyed on small marine reptiles. Thanks to the warmer Antarctic climate of the dinosaur age, the ecosystem stayed diverse and helped many unusual reptiles to thrive.
The discovery of the prehistoric predatory sea lizard in Antarctica has been a breakthrough, braving many odds including the harsh conditions of the said location. Hard weather conditions often put off paleontologists from their work in the region and made information flow pretty scarce.
The fossil discovery by the Chilean scientists happened during a hard journey to Seymour Island in 2010. Despite the battle with bad weather and muddy terrain, they stumbled upon the rocks fossil remains of a large skull belonging to a Mosasaur that was 66 million years old.
Historical Paradigm Shift
Rodrigo Otero, one of the authors of the study, noted that the discovery reinforced the diversity of Cretaceous marine reptiles in the southern hemisphere and marked a historical paradigm shift.
"Prior to this research, the known mosasaur remains from Antarctica provided no evidence for the presence of very large predators like Kaikaifilu, in an environment where plesiosaurs were especially abundant. The new find complements one expected ecological element of the Antarctic ecosystem during the latest Cretaceous," added Otero.
Why Mosasaurs Are Different?
Mosasaurs lived in the seas during the Cretaceous period and were the close kin of modern-day lizards, as they were not dinosaurs.
Christened Kaikaifilu hervei, the newly discovered giant sea lizard takes its name from the cosmology of southern Chile natives who worship Kai-Kai filú — the reptile God.
Hervei, as the species name, makes a tribute to Francisco Hervé, who is a renowned Chilean geologist.
The new discovery has taken Kaikaifilu to the top slot as the largest known Mosasaur by dislodging Taniwhasaurus antarcticus, which had a skull size of 70 centimeters (about 27 inches).
Mosasaurs are different from modern lizards in many respects. They include the presence of paddle-like limbs and a deep tail that helps them in swimming. Many top predators in that species had a giant body as evidenced in the fearsome looks of Tylosaurus.
This younger sea lizard is almost 5 million years junior to Taniwhasaurus. A relative of North America's Tylosaurus, Kaikaifilu has many traits that qualify it for an exclusive scientific name.
