Dakosaurus is an extinct genus within the family Metriorhynchidae that lived during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. It was large, with teeth that were serrated and compressed lateromedially (flattened from side to side).
Discovery and Naming[]
The genus was established by Friedrich August von Quenstedt in 1856 for an isolated tooth at first named Geosaurus maximus by Plieninger. The name Dakosaurus means "biter lizard", and is derived from the Greek dakos ("biter") and σαῦρος -sauros ("lizard").
Paleobiology[]
Dakosaurus was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. The extent of its adaptation to a marine lifestyle means that it is most likely that it mated at sea, but since no eggs or nests have been discovered that have been referred to Dakosaurus, whether it gave birth to live young at sea like dolphins and ichthyosaurs or came ashore like turtles is not known. The Dakosaurus probably fed on all sorts of marine animals, primitive whales, other predators, and maybe even attack members of its own kind.
We have no direct evidence of a Dakosaurus feeding on prey however. It probably roamed the warm waters and coastal beds of Argentina in search of prey and gave birth in shallow waters where the safety of young might've been more guaranteed.
In Popular Culture[]
- Dakosaurus appeared in Jurassic Park Builder.
- Dakosaurus appeared in Jurassic World: The Game as a super rare aquatic creature.
- Dakosaurus briefly appears in Sea Rex.
- It even made an appearance as an animated shadow in the PBS Documentary When Whales Walked: Journeys in Deep Time.