Globidens

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Globidens
Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Globidens aegypticus
Globidens aegypticus
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Lacertilia
Family: Mosasauridae
Subfamily: Mosasaurinae
Tribe: Globidensini
Genus: Globidens
Species
  • G. alabamaensis
  • G. dakotensis
  • G. aegypticus

Globidens ("Globe teeth") was an extinct genus of mosasaur lizard.

The 6 m (20 ft) long creature looked like a regular, medium-sized mosasaur, possessing a streamlined body with flippers, a laterally flattened tail and powerful jaws. However, its teeth were vastly different from other mosasaurs, as they were globular, as suggested in its generic name. Generally, most mosasaurs had sharp teeth evolved to grab soft, slippery prey like fish and squid, which, in later species, were later modified to rend flesh, as well. While many other mosasaurs were capable of crushing the shells of ammonites, none were as specialized in dealing with armored prey like Globidens. Globidens, unlike most other mosasaurs, had semispherical teeth with rounded nubbin-like points, which were much better suited for crushing tough armored prey like small turtles, ammonites, nautili, and bivalves. Like its larger relative, Mosasaurus, Globidens had a robustly built skull with tightly-articulating jaws. Such features no doubt played a large role in its ability to penetrate the armor of its shelled prey.

As mentioned earlier, Mosasaurus was a closely related, possibly ancestral, genus, and the smaller Carinodens is regarded as a sister genus of Globidens.