Goronyosaurus
Name:
Goronyosaurus
(Goronyo lizard).
Phonetic: Go-ron-e-o-sore-us.
Named By: A. Azzaroli, C. De Giuli, G.
Ficcarelli & D. Torre - 1972.
Synonyms: Mosasaurus nigeriensis.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata,
Mosasauridae.
Species: G. nigeriensis
(type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Holotype estimated to be about 5.1 and 5.2
meters long.
Known locations: Niger. Nigeria - Dukamaje
Formation (Gypsiferous shale Member), Rima Formation (Dukamaje
Member ).
Time period: Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skull and post
cranial remains.
Originally named as a species of Mosasaurus, Goronyosaurus was a medium sized mosasaur that lived in the waters of Africa. So far fossils of Goronyosaurus have been found in Niger and Nigeria. The key thing here is that Niger is a land locked country, so this may actually be an indicator that Goronyosaurus swam up rivers as it hunted for prey. This is not that much of a stretch of the imagination, the genus Pannoniasaurus that was named in 2012 is the first genus of mosasaur that has been confirmed as coming from a freshwater deposit. Therefore it is not wholly improbable that Goronyosaurus and maybe other mosasaurs hunted in freshwater at least occasionally.
Further reading
- An aberrant mosasaur from the Upper Cretaceous of north-western
Nigeria. - Rendiconti della classe di fisiche, mathematiche e
naturali 52:398-402. - A. Azzaroli, C. De Giuli, G.
Ficcarelli & D. Torre - 1972.
- The mosasaur Goronyosaurus from the Upper Cretaceous of Sokoto State,
Nigeria. - Palaeontology. 31 (3): 747–762. - T. Soliar - 1988.
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