Mosasaurus is a genus of mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic scaly reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. Its earliest fossils were found as skulls near the River Meuse (Mosa in Latin). In 1808, Georges Cuvier concluded that the skulls belonged to a giant marine lizard with similarities to monitors but otherwise unlike any known living animal, supporting the then- developing idea of extinction. Scientists continue to debate whether its closest living relatives are monitors or snakes. Mosasaurus had jaws capable of swinging back and forth and was capable of powerful bites, using dozens of teeth designed for cutting prey. Its four limbs were shaped into paddles to steer underwater. Mosasaurus was a predator with excellent vision but a poor sense of smell, and a high metabolic rate suggesting it was warm-blooded. It lived in much of the Atlantic and in a wide range of oceanic climates including tropical, subtropical, temperate, and subpolar.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaurus
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1692:
Bridget Bishop became the first person to be executed for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Bishop
1878:
The League of Prizren was officially founded to "struggle in arms to defend the wholeness of the territories of Albania". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Prizren
1925:
The United Church of Canada, the country's largest Protestant denomination, held its inaugural service at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Canada
2008:
Sudan Airways Flight 109 crashed on landing at Khartoum International Airport, killing 30 of the 214 occupants on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_Airways_Flight_109
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
knotty: 1. Of string or something stringlike: full of, or tied up, in knots. 2. Of a part of the body, a tree, etc.: full of knots (knobs or swellings); gnarled, knobbly. 3. (figuratively) 4. Complicated or tricky; complex, difficult. 5. Of an austere or hard nature; rugged. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knotty
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
We cannot just sweep this under the rug. We need to know why it happened, who did it, and people need to be held accountable for it. And I'm committed to make sure that happens. --Kevin McCarthy https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Kevin_McCarthy_%28California_politician%29