Prognathodon

Prognathodon
Temporal range: Campanian - Maastrichtian, 83.6–66 Ma
IRNSB R33, the holotype skull of Prognathodon solvayi, the type species of the genus.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Clade: †Mosasauria
Family: †Mosasauridae
Tribe: †Prognathodontini
Genus: †Prognathodon
Dollo, 1889
Type species
Prognathodon solvayi
Dollo, 1889
Other species
  • P.? compressidens (Gaudry 1892)
  • P. currii (Christiansen and Bonde, 2002)
  • P. giganteus (Dollo, 1904)
  • P. hashimi (Kaddumi, 2009)
  • P. hudae Kaddumi, 2009
  • P. lutugini (Yakovlev, 1901)
  • P.? kianda (Schulp et al., 2008)
  • P.? mosasauroides (Gaudry 1892)
  • P.? overtoni (Williston, 1897)
  • P. primus Kaddumi, 2009
  • P.? rapax (Hay, 1902)
  • P.? saturator (Dortangs et al., 2002)
  • P.? sectorius (Cope, 1871)
  • P.? waiparaensis (Welles and Gregg, 1971)
Synonyms
  • Prognathosaurus (Dollo, 1889)

(Williston, 1897)

  • Dollosaurus (Yakovlev, 1905)
  • Brachysaurana (Strand, 1926)
  • Ancylocentrum (Schmidt, 1927)
  • Tenerasaurus (Kaddumi, 2009)

Prognathodon is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Mosasaurinae subfamily, alongside genera like Mosasaurus and Clidastes. Prognathodon has been recovered from deposits ranging in age from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian in the Middle East, Europe, New Zealand, and North America.[1]

Prognathodon means "forejaw tooth", which originates from the Latin pro- ("earlier" or "prior"), Greek gnathos ("jaw") and odṓn ("tooth"). Twelve nominal species of Prognathodon are recognised, from North America, northern and western Africa, the Middle East, western Europe and New Zealand. Due to the sometimes clear differences between them and the incomplete nature of many of the specimens, the systematics of the genus and which species should properly be considered Prognathodon is controversial. Some species have been assigned to other genera, such as Dollosaurus and Brachysaurana, but this has also been questioned.

Prognathodon is known for its massively built jaws and teeth. Its distinct feeding adaptations have generated much interest in its ecology ever since its discovery, though direct evidence of its diet, such as gastric residues, is rare.[2]

  1. ^ "Fossilworks: Prognathodon". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ Konishi, Takuya; Brinkman, Donald; Massare, Judy A.; Caldwell, Michael W. (2011-09-01). "New exceptional specimens of Prognathodon overtoni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the upper Campanian of Alberta, Canada, and the systematics and ecology of the genus". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31 (5): 1026–1046. Bibcode:2011JVPal..31.1026K. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.601714. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 129001212.