Carinodens is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of mosasaur

Mosasaur

Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...

. It was named in 1969 as a replacement for Compressidens, which was already in use for a mollusk. Measuring approximately 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) in length, it is one of the smallest known mosasaurs. It is widely considered a sister taxon to Globidens

Globidens

Globidens is an extinct genus of mosasaur lizard.Globidens alabamaensis was first described by Gilmore . A second species was described by Russell . The third North American species Globidens ("Globe teeth") is an extinct genus of mosasaur lizard.Globidens alabamaensis was first described by...

. It also had round, blunt teeth for crushing primitive clams and oysters. Most cranial elements have been found in The Netherlands. The only postcrania

Postcrania

Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...

l material was recovered from latest Maastrichtian deposits of Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

. The new material, assigned to a new species of Carinodens by Kaddumi (2009), is represented by an almost complete skull with at least 24 teeth still occupying their natural locations, complete neck vertebral series as well as several back vertebrae, and front paddles. In addition to the dentary, maxilla

Maxilla

The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...

ry, and premaxilla

Premaxilla

The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....

ry teeth, several small pterygoid

Pterygoid

Pterygoid can refer to:* Pterygoid processes of the sphenoid bone** The Lateral pterygoid plate by it* a muscle such as Lateral pterygoid muscle or Medial pterygoid muscle* a branch of the Mandibular nerve...

 teeth are also preserved in this new material. Based on the remarkable dental heterodont

Heterodont

The anatomical term heterodont refers to animals which possess more than a single tooth morphology. For example, members of the Synapsida generally possess incisors, canines , premolars, and molars. The presence of heterodont dentition is evidence of some degree of feeding/hunting specialization...

y exhibited in the new species from Jordan, several new prey items may be postulated for Carinodens. Skeletal morphologies suggest that at least some Carinodens species were lightweight fast swimming slender mosasaurs with a streamlined body equipped with strong vision and advanced maneuvering capabilities, attributes that would act as natural defenses against the much larger and fierce predators that shared with it the same paleoenvironment.