Warm Blooded Dinos- Mosasaurus

When I was looking up reptile facts, I noticed that I kept seeing this statement: most reptiles are warm blooded. I got to thinking, what reptiles don't apply to this statement, if only most reptiles are warm blooded. Turns out, there are no modern day reptiles that are 'warm blooded' per say. However, if you're willing to look back 65 to 250 million years ago. The time is the Mesozoic era. This was a major time in the earths existence due to the major change in vegetation. During the Triassic period (251-199.6 million years ago), the vegetation mainly consists of ferns and very unusual fauna. Moving into the Cretaceous period (145.5-65.5 million years ago), the vegetation had highly diversified. The three reptiles over this time frame that were indeed warm blooded were not land creatures, however. Their names were Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs, and Mosasaurs. This blog focuses on the Mosasaurs, though blogs based on the others have been written.

Mosasaurs:
The Mosasaurs is a very odd looking creature, like the other two warm blooded dinos. It looks just like a killer whale with an elongated tail and a velociraptor's head. It reached a length of 15 meters in adulthood (98.4 feet). A fractured  head fossil had been discovered in 1764 and declared a fish, then an ancient sperm whale in 1786, then a reptile in 1808 when it was given its name, but did not receive a specific species until 1829. Mosasaurs have a very heavy build which suggests that it's prey was most likely larger and slower which is also confirmed by their poor amount of stereoscopic vision. This means that it did not rely on speed or distance as is could not properly gauge either. It most likely waited until its prey went to the surface for air, revealing itself in the illuminated water, where the Mosasaurs would quickly launch itself with its tail and kill or wound its prey. Fossils of these giants have been found in Western Europe and North America.

Links: http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/m/mosasaurus.html