A new genus and species of mosasaurid being named Sarabosaurus dahli has been discovered by a team of paleontologists from the United States, the Netherlands and France.

Mosasaurs were a group of large predatory marine reptiles that inhabited all of the world’s oceans during the Late Cretaceous epoch, between 90 and 66 million years ago.

These creatures went extinct during the end-Cretaceous extinction event which killed non-avian dinosaurs and 75% of life on the planet.

Although their relationship to other reptiles is not completely certain, mosasaurs appear to be closely related to a group known as monitor lizards.

The largest known mosasaur is Tylosaurus (Hainosaurus) bernardi, which could reach 17m in length.