An extinct genus of aquatic reptiles from the Cretaceous period, similar to modern marine lizards.
From Greek 'klid-' (meaning 'broken' or 'fracturing') + 'dastes' (meaning 'biters'). The scientific name refers to the animal's tooth structure and predatory nature, established in paleontology in the 19th century.
Clidastes were the ultimate shallow-water hunters of the Cretaceous seas—up to 12 feet long with powerful jaws and paddle limbs, they thrived in the warm oceans that covered what's now Kansas before mysteriously vanishing 66 million years ago.
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