He explained the etymology as Greek dakos "Biss" [bite] in 1858 in German, adding "denn wenige kommen seinem furchtbaren Gebiss gleich" [for few can match its terrible set of teeth].

[11] Named in 1871 by Emanuel Bunzel,[6] the remains attributed to Megalosaurus schnaitheimi (found in Schnaitheim, Germany) are now believed to have belonged to Dakosaurus maximus as per Carrano et al.

[12] Fossil specimens referrable to Dakosaurus are known from Late Jurassic deposits from England, France, Switzerland, Germany,[7] Poland,[13] Russia,[14] Argentina,[3] and Mexico.

[4] Dakosaurus andiniensis, meaning "biter lizard from the Andes", was first reported in 1985 from the Neuquén Basin, a very rich fossil bed in the Vaca Muerta, Argentina.

[18] Dakosaurus nicaeensis, named in 1913 by Ambayrac, was mistakenly classified as a megalosaurid dinosaur; now it is assigned as the sole species in the genus Aggiosaurus.

[23] Dakosaurus–when it contained the species D. andiniensis, D. maximus, and D. manselii–had long been considered paraphyletic, that is, not consisting of a common ancestor and its descendants,[24][25][26][27] until a 2012 study moved D. manselii to the formerly invalid genus Plesiosuchus.

[31] The enlarged supratemporal fenestrae of Dakosaurus skulls[8] would have anchored large adductor muscles (jaw closing),[32] ensuring a powerful bite.

As their skulls are triangular in shape, with deeply rooted, large, serrated teeth and a bulbous, deep, mandibular symphysis (like pliosaurs), dakosaurs would also have been able to twist feed (tear chunks of flesh off potential prey).