Taniwhasaurus is an extinct genus of mosasaurs (a group of extinct marine lizards) that lived during the Santonian to Campanian stages of the Late Cretaceous. It is a member of the subfamily Tylosaurinae, a lineage of mosasaurs characterized by a long toothless conical rostrum. Two valid species are attached to the genus, T. oweni and T. antarcticus, known respectively from the fossil record of present-day New Zealand and Antarctica. Two other species have been nominally classified within the genus, T. 'capensis' and T. 'mikasaensis', recorded in present-day South Africa and Japan, but their attribution remains problematic due to the fragmentary state of their fossils. The generic name literally means "taniwha lizard", referring to a supernatural aquatic creature from Māori mythology.
Taniwhasaurus has been suggested to play 3 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.
