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Researchers uncovered one vertebra, and based on its size, they estimate the massive creature was at least 30 feet long when it roamed the shallow seas that covered the region roughly 66 million years ago
April 29, 2025 2:30 p.m.
During geological examinations in east-central Mississippi, scientists discovered an intriguing object protruding from the mud. Upon careful extraction, they realized they had uncovered a remarkable find: a fossilized vertebra from a mosasaur, measuring more than seven inches across its widest point.
“I was completely awe-struck by its size,” remarked James Starnes, the geologist who initially spotted the bone, in an interview with Live Science. “The feeling of discovering a fossil never fades, but finding something entirely new is an overwhelming experience.”
Starnes collaborated with colleagues Jonathan Leard and Tim Palmer near Starkville, close to Mississippi State University, while surveying the area for a three-dimensional geological mapping project, as reported by Mississippi Clarion-Ledger.
Previously, they had uncovered ancient seashells dating back to a time when Mississippi was submerged underwater. The discovery of the mosasaur vertebra excited the team, which subsequently handed the specimen over to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Paleontologists identified it as belonging to the species Mosasaurus hoffmannii, noted for being among the largest of the mosasaurs.
This particular mosasaur may be the largest ever found in Mississippi. Researchers estimate its length to be at least 30 feet based on the vertebra’s dimensions.
“This was a true sea monster,” Starnes commented in the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. “It exceeds the size of most terrestrial dinosaurs.”
The massive creature lived during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago, when Mississippi’s landscape was dominated by a warm, shallow sea teeming with a variety of now-extinct marine life, including sharks, fish, marine lizards, and coiled shell cephalopods known as ammonites.
“Pterosaurs and various birds likely soared overhead while diverse plant-eating and carnivorous dinosaurs traversed the shorelines and woodlands near coastal estuaries,” said Starnes in his conversation with Live Science.
Along with other mosasaurs, M. hoffmannii navigated the shallow waters of Mississippi. These formidable aquatic reptiles featured streamlined bodies, elongated tails, and paddle-like limbs, with many possessing sharp teeth. Some were apex predators, capable of consuming anything within reach, including fellow mosasaurs.
“During the Mesozoic era, the oceans were likely the most perilous environment throughout Earth’s history,” noted a post from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regarding the fossil discovery.
Mosasaurs vanished along with the dinosaurs following an asteroid impact around 66 million years ago. Nevertheless, their fossilized remnants continue to intrigue researchers in Mississippi and beyond. In 2022, a team in northeast Mississippi found a fossilized skeleton—including its skull—dated to over 80 million years ago.
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