Abstract
ABSTRACT A new mosasaur from the Iullemmeden Basin in S.W. Niger, Pluridens walken gen. et sp. nov., has a highly anteriorly elongated dentary with at least one and a half times the number of teeth of any other recorded mosasaur. Referred material of P. walkeri is also recorded from southern Nigeria, providing vertebrate evidence that a seaway connected the Iullemmeden Basin to the Gulf of Guinea in the south and to the Tethys in the north, i.e., that the seaway was apparently open-ended. The ecology and evolution of mosasaurs from west and southwest Africa are discussed in relation to a Trans-Saharan Seaway and faunal migrations. Mosasaurs in the Iullemmeden Basin appear to have been adapted to a shallow sea and lagoonal environment. A new feeding strategy is proposed for mosasaurs i.e., it is possible that Pluridens walkeri occupied the vacated feeding niches of the early ichthyosaurs.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
