The Kronosaurus had a lot of advantages against the Liopleurodon. It was bigger, faster, and had a more powerful bite force. All these advantages meant the Kronosaurus was more likely to beat the Liopleurodon in battle.
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Battle Facts about Kronosaurus vs. Liopleurodon
| Name | Kronosaurus (Kronosaurus queenlandicus) | Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon ferox) |
| Size | 30-36 feet long, 22,000 to 26,000 pounds | 16-23 feet long, 2,200-3,700 pounds |
| Speed | 30-40 mph | 20-25 mph |
| Offense | Bite force up to 20,000 pounds | Bite force up to 7,700 pounds |
| Defense | Really fast swimmer with dull teeth | Great sense of smell to detect lurking dangers, sharp teeth |
| Endurance and Behavior | Could maintain high speeds for a long time | Could stay underwater for several miles |
A Kronosaurus and a Liopleurodon were marine reptiles with four flippers and short tails. Marine reptiles ruled the waters during the Mesozoic era.
The Kronosaurus would win most battles because it was much bigger and faster than the Liopleurodon. But the Liopleurodon was compact and could slip away from the Kronos if it got lucky!
Were the Kronosaurus and the Liopleurodon Related to Each Other?
Kronosaurus and Liopleurodon dinos were closely related. They were both from Pliosaurs, a group of short-necked marine reptiles that evolved from the order Plesiosauria. Plesiosaurs first swam onto the scene in the Triassic period.
Pliosaurs evolved in the Early Jurassic period and thrived to the end of the Cretaceous period. The Liopleurodon lived in Europe from 165-155 million years ago and possibly longer. During this time, the genus Pliosaurus also appeared.
It wasn’t until the Early Cretaceous period that the Kronosaurus appeared. The Kronos lived in Colombia and Australia 120-90 million years ago. During this time, the waterways of Australia were incredibly cold and sometimes even icy.
Were There Other Marine Reptiles During the Dinosaur Age?
Plesiosaurs, Pliosaurs, and Mosasaurs reptiles all lived during the Mesozoic era. These animals lived in water full time, but they breathed air. Because they couldn’t go on land and lay eggs like crocodiles, they hatched their eggs inside their bodies and gave live birth!
Mosasaurs included the Mosasaurus and Tylosaurus. Plesiosaurs included Plesiosaurus and Elasmosaurus. (Plesiosaurs were much like Pliosaurs, but they had long necks).
There were a lot of other sea monsters that lived long before humans appeared. These include Cretaceous period crocodiles like a Sarcosuchus. Unlike other marine reptiles, the Sarcosuchus could travel on land and by water.
A 42-foot snake called Titanoboa also appeared about 60 million years ago, after the mass extinction of dinos. It is the largest known predator to live between dinosaurs and when Megalodon first appeared about 23 million years ago. The Titanoboa was 5 times the size of an Anaconda!
What Advantages Did the Liopleurodon Have?
The Liopleurodon was slender and flexible in the water. It was also lightweight and able to change course in a split second. Think of a seal escaping a shark or a killer whale.
One of Liopleurodon’s biggest advantages was its sense of smell. The Liopleurodon could actually smell danger. This helped the Liopleurodon avoid fights altogether, which was a great defense!
What Advantages Did the Kronosaurus Have?
Kronosaurus’s size was one of its biggest advantages. A size comparison between the Kronos and the Lio shows the Kronos was around 10 feet longer than Lio. The Kronos also weighed around 10 times what the smaller Lio weighed!
Kronosaurus’s speed was also an advantage. The Kronosaurus was heavy, but they could still swim 30-40 mph for long periods. The Liopleurodon could only swim up to 25 mph.
Who Would Win the Battle of Kronosaurus vs. Liopleurodon?
The Liopleurodon had a lot of great adaptations that helped it avoid fights, but the Kronosaurus would be the clear winner here. Unless the Liopleurodon could stay away from the Kronos, the Kronosaurus would easily beat the smaller marine reptile.
Kronosaurus’s bite force was another advantage over the Liopleurodon. Its bite force was even stronger than the mighty T-rex! The Tyrannosaurus rex had a bite force of 12,815 pounds, and the Kronos had a bite force of up to 20,000 pounds!
The Kronos was so strong and agile, it could even win in a fight vs. Mosasaurus! The much weaker Liopleurodon’s bite force was about 7,700 pounds. That’s similar to the bite force of an Allosaurus or Giganotosaurus.
The Kronosaurus was the most likely winner against the Liopleurodon, but that didn’t mean the fight was hopeless for Lio. Just like a Triceratops could use its creature features to beat the mighty T-rex, the Liopleurodon still could survive.
If paleontology is right about how smart the Liopleurodon was, this crafty little sea monster could’ve easily given the Kronosaurus the slip now and then!