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Clidastes
''Clidastes''〔meaning “locked vertebrae” originates from Greek noun κλειδί, or kleid meaning key; akin to Latin claudere meaning to shut〕 is a genus of extinct mosasaurine lizard that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period from 99.6 million to 65.5 million years ago in North America, and Europe.〔Caldwell, M.W., & Diedrich, C.G. (n.d.). Remains of Clidastes Cope, 1868, an unexpected mosasaur in the upper Campanian of NW Germany. (Igitur.) Igitur.〕〔Lindgren, J., & Siverson, M. (January 01, 2004). The first record of the mosasaur Clidastes from Europe and its palaeogeographical implications. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 49, 219-234.〕 ''Clidastes'' was an agile swimmer that probably swam by undulating its body, and preyed on cephalopods, fish and other small vertebrates in shallow water.
== Description ==
''Clidastes'' was the one of the smallest of the mosasaurs (the smallest being ''Dallasaurus''), averaging in length, with the largest specimens reaching long.〔Cope, E.D. 1868. On new species of extinct reptiles. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 20: 181〕 The generic name refers to how the vertebral processes that allow the proximal heads of the vertebrae to interlock for stability and strength during swimming. Even though the vertebrae lock together, the living animal would have still had a range of motion in the horizontal plane that is sufficient enough to allow for the high quality of swimming in shallow waters.〔Wright, K. R. (September 23, 1988). The First Record of Clidastes liodontus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Eastern United States. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 8, 3, 343-34〕 Additionally the strengthening of the tail, and entire backbone, allowed for muscle attachments to help it swimming. It possessed a delicate and slim form with an expansion of the neural spines and chevrons near the tip of the tail and this enabled it to chase down the fastest of prey.
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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