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Clidastes facts for kids

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Clidastes
Temporal range: Upper Cretaceous
Clidastes2.JPG
Clidastes liodontus chasing a turtle
Scientific classification
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Subfamily:
Mosasaurinae
Genus:
Clidastes

Cope, 1868

Clidastes is a genus of extinct mosasaurine lizard that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period from 99.6 million to 65.5 million years ago in North America, and Europe. Clidastes was an agile swimmer that probably swam by undulating its body, and preyed on cephalopods, fish and other small vertebrates in shallow water.

Description

Clidastes proph1DB
C. propython restoration

Clidastes was the one of the smallest of the mosasaurs (the smallest being Dallasaurus), averaging 2–4 meters (6.6–13.1 ft) in length, with the largest specimens reaching 6.2 meters (20 feet) long.

It possessed a delicate and slim form with an expansion of the neural spines and chevrons near the tip of the tail and this enabled it to chase down the fastest of prey.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Clidastes para niños

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