Drag to rotate the Tylosaurus, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click a body part - the snout, a flipper, or the tail - to read what fossils tell us about it. The panel beside the model carries the real figures.
Tylosaurus was a marine reptile, not a dinosaur - it swam in the Western Interior Seaway with paddle-shaped flippers and a finned tail. Adult length is often cited near 8-14 m; some large specimens are estimated around 12-13.2 m.
The colors and skin here are an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. The measurements in the panel are the real published ones.
Tylosaurus 3D Viewer
This page renders a Tylosaurus as a 3D model you can spin in the browser - drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, toggle a 1.8 m person beside it for scale, and click the snout, a flipper, or the tail to read a fact about that part.
Tylosaurus was a Late Cretaceous mosasaur, about 90 to 66 million years ago, from the North American Western Interior Seaway - not a dinosaur. Large adults are often cited near 8-14 m (some specimens near 12-13.2 m); mass estimates span about 1.1 tonnes to several tonnes. It is distinct from Mosasaurus, the European form often reconstructed longer near 11-17 m.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 8-14 m for large adults (some specimens near 12-13.2 m) |
| Body depth | about 2 m for a large adult (proportionate estimate) |
| Weight | about 1.1 tonnes to several tonnes (range) |
| When it lived | about 90-66 million years ago (Late Cretaceous) |
| Group | Marine reptile (mosasaur), not a dinosaur |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Everything runs on your device with WebGL - no account, nothing sent to a server. Soft-tissue color is an artistic reconstruction; this model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. Figures above are published values with ranges where sources disagree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Tylosaurus a dinosaur?
No. Tylosaurus was a mosasaur - an ocean-going lizard - that lived in the Late Cretaceous seas. This viewer includes it because it is a popular prehistoric marine predator, not because it was a dinosaur.
How big was Tylosaurus?
Large adults are often cited near 8-14 m, with some specimens estimated around 12-13.2 m. Mass estimates range from about 1.1 tonnes for mid-size adults to several tonnes for the largest forms. Turn on the human figure to judge the scale.
How is Tylosaurus different from Mosasaurus?
Tylosaurus is best known from the North American Western Interior Seaway and has a long toothless tip to the snout. Mosasaurus is the European Maastricht form often reconstructed longer near 11-17 m. Both were mosasaurs, not dinosaurs.
Is the model scientifically accurate?
The body shape follows fossil reconstructions - streamlined trunk, four flippers, a finned tail - but the skin color and texture are an artistic reconstruction. Fossils preserve bone, not color. The figures shown are real published values with ranges where sources disagree.
When and where did Tylosaurus live?
About 90-66 million years ago in Late Cretaceous seas, especially the Western Interior Seaway that covered much of what is now the central United States and Canada.