Some mosasaurs may have been capable of a powerful, brief lunge driven by a single tail stroke. In a fossil-based model summarized by Rutgers University, the longer-tailed Platecarpus ranked fastest for its body size among four studied forms, while Tylosaurus also outperformed Mosasaurus and Plotosaurus. These are estimates of burst performance—not measured or sustained swimming speeds.
How fast could a mosasaur swim?
Rutgers reports that a particularly large Tylosaurus might have reached about 15 miles per hour in a one-stroke burst. National Geographic describes a digitally scaled, 45-foot Tylosaurus rex model reaching about 15 mph, or 23 feet per second. Both figures are model estimates for a brief surge, not direct measurements of an extinct animal or evidence of its cruising speed. Rutgers cautions that exact speeds remain uncertain, and the available summaries do not provide numerical uncertainty intervals. Rutgers University’s October 7, 2026 summary and National Geographic’s October 7, 2026 feature report the estimates.
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National Geographic gives a rough great-white shark burst figure of about 11 mph, or 16 feet per second. That comparison is suggestive, not a like-for-like contest: the feature does not establish that the shark and mosasaur figures were derived using identical methods.
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What the model tested
The study modeled a brief maneuver described as a “slam-start.” The animal curls its tail to one side, then sweeps it back in a forceful stroke that pushes against the water. As study lead Kiersten Formoso put it in Rutgers’ account, “It’s the tail itself pushing off the water.”
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Researchers used fossil measurements to represent body size and tail shape, then estimated missing tail musculature by reference to living lizards, including Komodo dragons. They varied assumptions about muscle power, tail flexibility and water resistance. In the tested conditions, the amount of tail curl had a much larger effect on estimated speed than the other varied conditions. A longer, more flexible tail section could allow greater curl before the stroke and, in turn, a stronger launch.
How the four modeled mosasaurs compare
| Form | Modeled burst comparison | Possible locomotor interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Platecarpus | Fastest for body size among the four forms summarized by Rutgers | Its longer, flexible tail may have enabled greater curl and a stronger sudden burst, consistent with an ambush-hunting interpretation |
| Tylosaurus | Faster for body size than Mosasaurus and Plotosaurus; a particularly large animal was estimated near 15 mph in a brief burst | Its longer, flexible tail may have favored sudden acceleration and ambush hunting |
| Mosasaurus | Lower modeled lunge performance than Platecarpus and Tylosaurus | Its shorter tail was interpreted as better suited to sustained open-water pursuit |
| Plotosaurus | Lowest modeled lunge speed of the four | Formoso said its tail was built for sustained, tuna-like swimming rather than sudden bursts |
The comparison concerns a modeled lunge, not every aspect of swimming ability. As Formoso told Rutgers, “That doesn’t mean Plotosaurus was slow. Its tail was built for sustained, tuna-like swimming rather than sudden bursts.” The model’s ranking therefore should not be read as a ranking of overall speed, endurance or success as a predator.
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Do the results mean mosasaurs hunted by ambush?
They support a plausible ecological interpretation, not a direct record of behavior. Longer-tailed forms appear better equipped for a sudden burst, which could help an ambush predator close distance quickly. Shorter-tailed forms may have been better suited to sustained swimming and pursuit in open water. National Geographic reports that this contrast is consistent with other evidence, including tooth wear and head anatomy.
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What remains uncertain
- The outputs depend on fossil body and tail measurements plus reconstructed soft tissue, including estimated tail muscles; they are physics-based model results, not measurements from living animals.
- The roughly 15 mph Tylosaurus estimate describes a brief, single-stroke surge. It does not establish a sustained top speed.
- Rutgers says exact speeds are uncertain. Numerical uncertainty intervals and the paper’s full parameterization are not established in the available summaries.
- Rutgers says the team also modeled two exceptionally large animals, including a Mosasaurus reconstruction based on a New Jersey State Museum fossil, but the summary does not provide further comparable speed figures for them.
Rutgers links its summary to the Current Biology article. The journal page’s full methods and uncertainty estimates are not available in the cited summaries, so finer numerical comparisons should be treated cautiously.
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