Tylosaurus
"-But you're talking about releasing an apex predator into over seventy percent of the global ecosystem!"
~Gerry Harding
Species:
Tylosaurus sp.
Common Name:
Mosasaur
Family:
Mosasauridae
Seen in:
• Jurassic Park: The Game (1993)
Vocalizations:
Description:
The second only known true marine-reptile cloned so far, the Tylosaurus was an apex predator of its time, cloned by Ingen in the 90s for Jurassic Park. A single specimen was created for the Marine Facility, planned to be opened in 1994 with Jurassic Park's Phase Two.
Despite the cloning of the Mosasaurus years ahead with Jurassic World, the Tylosaurus differs drastically visually from its cousin, sporting true lizard scales across its body, its flippers are rounded and its tail has the shape of a paddle, with bony spikes growing both top and bottom of it. It also included a forked tongue, a trait Mosasaurs had in the fossil record.
Handled primarily by Dr. Sorkin, the Tylosaurus wasn't precisely identified as any known taxon at the time, instead, it was only known to be an indeterminate Mosasaurid, hence the common naming "Mosasaur" by her and other JP Staff. Eventually with further research on the cloned specimen, Dr. Sorkin learned that they had a Tylosaurus in hands.
Size Estimates:
2.5m Tall
14.5m Long
Did you know?
Unlike Mosasaurus itself, known to be cloned during the 2000s for Jurassic World, the Jurassic Park Tylosaurus had a forked tongue, characteristic known to be present in the fossil record of Mosasaurs.
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Seen only for a short period of time, the Tylosaurus inhabits the Marine Facility of Jurassic Park at Isla Nublar. The facility itself was underground, connected to some of the maintenance tunnels and through a surface elevator for visitors.
The Tylosaur enclosure shows that the animal was a cave-dweller, living in a fully underwater environment with a resting paddock whenever it wasn't supposed to be swimming freely. With that in mind however, Mosasaurs ain't fully aquatic creatures, with lungs, they still need to reach the surface in order to catch air and breathe, after the abandonment of Isla Nublar until 1994, it is very likely the Tylosaurus died off due lack of oxygen in the cave, and lack of food. Consequently making the species fall back into extinction in the mid 90s.
Individual Variation:
This species has no known Variation.