Oceans of Kansas. A natural histore of the western interior sea / Океаны Канзаса. Естественная история западного внутреннего моря

The bright midday sun glinted off the calm waters of the Inland Sea and silhouetted the long, sinuous form of a huge mosasaur lying motionless amid the floating tangle of yellow-green seaweed. At 20 years old, more than 30 feet in length, and weighing over a ton, the adult mosasaur was almost full grown and was much larger than any of the fishes or sharks that lived in the shallow seaway. A swift and powerful swimmer over short distances, the mosasaur used surprise and the thrust of his muscular tail to overtake his prey with a short burst of speed. His jaws were more than four feet long and were lined with sharp, conical teeth that he used to seize and kill his prey. Several unusual adaptations in his lower jaws allowed them to flex in the middle and enabled him to easily swallow the large fish and other animals he caught. This adaptation to life in the ocean was essential to the mosasaur because he had to hold on to his prey with his teeth or risk losing it. If he let go of his prey in the middle of the ocean, there was a good chance a hungry shark would grab it or it would sink to the bottom and be lost. <...>