Gavialimimus

Gavialimimus is an extinct genus of plioplatecarpine mosasaur from the Maastrichtian of Morocco. The holotype MHNM.KHG.1231, an articulated skull and associated fragmentary postcrania, was found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin.[1]

Gavialimimus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Superfamily: †Mosasauroidea
Family: †Mosasauridae
Subfamily: †Plioplatecarpinae
Genus: †Gavialimimus
Strong et al., 2020
Type species
†Gavialimimus almaghribensis
Strong et al., 2020

The etymology of this genus means "gharial mimic" (Hindi Gavial = "gharial" + Greek mimus = "mimic"). The genus name refers to morphological convergence between Gavialimimus and the extant gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).[1][2]

References
  1. Strong, Catherine R. C.; Caldwell, Michael W.; Konishi, Takuya; Palci, Alessandro (2020-09-28). "A new species of longirostrine plioplatecarpine mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco, with a re-evaluation of the problematic taxon 'Platecarpus' ptychodon". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 0: 1–36. doi:10.1080/14772019.2020.1818322. ISSN 1477-2019.
  2. "New Species of Mosasaur Unveiled in Morocco | Paleontology | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
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