We threw away so many rough sketches this week trying to get this prehistoric monster right. Getting the jaw structure of an ancient sea creature to look scary but not nightmare-inducing is a delicate balance.
I am running on cold coffee and leftover goldfish crackers at this point. But we finally finished this new collection of mosasaurus coloring pages for the site. We poured so much creative energy into making the underwater backgrounds feel truly immersive.
Blank white space behind a swimming creature always looks so unfinished to me. We added bubbles and coral reefs so there is actually an environment to color.
Your kids are going to need a very sharp pencil for all those jagged teeth. I suggest keeping a sharpener handy on the table.
Featured Mosasaurus Coloring Pages
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Mosasaurus Coloring Page Highlights
Crossing Paths with a Plesiosaur
This one is my youngest son’s favorite because it has two dinosaurs for the price of one. The mosasaurus is looking right at the plesiosaur with its mouth open. I honestly don’t know if they were friends or dinner.
The underwater background has these nice little coral pieces at the bottom. It gives kids a reason to use colors other than blue. A good coloring page of a mosasaurus needs some contrast to really pop.
Drifting Under a Full Moon
A night scene adds a whole different mood to the ocean. The full moon reflects on the water surface up top. It makes the whole picture feel weirdly calm for a giant predator.
We added clouds and stars in the sky area. This is a great chance to break out the silver and yellow markers. These mosasaurus coloring sheets really let kids practice night skies.
Emerging From Underwater Rocks
I love the suspense in this picture. The mosasaurus is peeking out from behind a huge rock formation. It almost looks like it is playing hide and seek.
The rocks take up a good chunk of the page right here. That means lots of gray and brown to balance out the ocean. It might cause a minor inconvenience if your gray marker is running dry.
Close Up of a Predator’s Eye
This is just a massive scaly face and one huge eye staring right at you. It is honestly a little creepy but kids absolutely love that stuff. We made the scales really detailed so it takes some time to finish.
You can get really creative with the eye color. Maybe a bright yellow or a scary red. Every free mosasaurus coloring pages collection needs at least one intense close up.
Gliding Through the Deep
Here we have the creature swimming right through the middle of the page. There are some seaweed plants and bubbles to show movement. It is a very classic dinosaur pose.
My middle child usually colors this one completely green. The simple background makes the dinosaur the main focus. Getting a printable mosasaurus coloring pages file like this is perfect for younger kids.
Deep Ocean Cross Section
This is probably the most educational sheet in the bunch. It shows the ocean in layers with clouds up top and a little volcano on the sea floor. There is even a jellyfish and a squid floating around in there.
Kids can color each layer of water a different shade of blue. It actually helps them understand how deep the ocean gets. Finding a good coloring page of a mosasaurus with this much extra detail is rare.
Shallow Waters at Golden Hour
We put this mosasaurus right near a tropical island with palm trees. The sun is setting in the background behind some fluffy clouds. It almost looks like a prehistoric vacation spot.
The water ripples around the dinosaur are really fun to color. You can use pinks and oranges in the sky to reflect on the water. These mosasaurus coloring sheets are perfect for practicing sunset gradients.
Leaping to Catch a Pterosaur
This is pure action right here. The mosasaurus is jumping totally out of the water to snap at a flying pterosaur. Water is splashing everywhere.
It reminds me of those nature shows with the great white sharks. The mountains in the background add a nice sense of scale. I think this one gets printed in our house around 3 or 4 times a week.
Tips for Coloring Mosasaurus
1. Layering the Ocean Blues
The ocean isn’t just one flat color. If your kid grabs a single blue marker it will look pretty dull.
I always tell my kids to use light blue near the top and dark navy at the bottom. It gives the water that spooky deep feeling. And it makes the dinosaur stand out more.
2. Mixing Greens and Grays
We don’t actually know exactly what color these creatures were. They might have been dark green or maybe grayish blue like modern whales.
Don’t be afraid to let kids mix colors on the scales. A little bit of brown layered over green makes the skin look thick and leathery. It brings a lot of texture to the page.
3. Keeping the Teeth Sharp
A mosasaurus has a lot of teeth. Seriously it is just rows of them in there. If you use a thick marker they all just blur into one white blob.
I suggest using a sharp colored pencil for the mouth area. A very light yellow or cream color looks more realistic than pure white anyway. It keeps the scary details intact.
4. Leaving the Splashes White
When the dinosaur jumps out of the water there are big splashes. It is super tempting to just color over them with blue.
Try to remind your little ones to leave the splash edges white. It makes the action look so much more explosive and real. Sometimes negative space is the best tool.
5. Adding Texture to Rocks
A lot of these pictures have huge rock formations underwater. Smooth gray rocks look boring after a while.
You can lightly scribble some dark brown or black over the gray. It creates a rough texture that makes the rocks look jagged and heavy. Perhaps even add a touch of green for algae.
6. Coloring the Night Sky
For the pages with the moon you really need a dark sky. Black markers can sometimes bleed through the paper though.
A dark indigo blue colored pencil works much better. You can press hard near the edges and go lighter near the moon. It creates a really nice glowing effect.
7. Tracing the Scales
Some of the close up pages have very detailed scale patterns. Coloring each one individually takes forever and kids get frustrated.
A good trick is to color the whole area a light green first. Then just use a darker green to trace over the scale lines to make them stand out. It saves time and looks great.
8. Brightening Up the Seaweed
There is a lot of seaweed and coral in these backgrounds. If the water is blue and the dinosaur is green things can get a bit muddy.
I like to use bright neon greens or even yellows for the plants. It creates a pop of color that breaks up all the dark ocean tones. And honestly it just looks fun.