Globidens Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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Reconstructed skull of G. phosphaticus, National Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Clade: | †Mosasauria |
Family: | †Mosasauridae |
Tribe: | †Globidensini |
Genus: | †Globidens Gilmore, 1912 |
Species | |
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Globidens ("Globe teeth") is an extinct genus of mosasaurid oceanic lizard classified as part of the Globidensini tribe in the Mosasaurinae subfamily. Globidens belongs to the family Mosasauridae, which consists of several genera of predatory marine lizards of various sizes that were prevalent during the Late Cretaceous. Specimens of Globidens have been discovered in Angola, Brazil, Colombia, Morocco, Syria and the United States.[1] Among mosasaurs, Globidens is probably most well known for the highly rounded, globe-like teeth that give it its name.
Globidens alabamaensis was the first species of Globidens described, in a publication by Charles W. Gilmore (1912). It is used as the type specimen for Globidens.