Eosaniwa koehni is an enigmatic platynotan that differs from related varanoids in the possession of a very long snout resulting in extremely elongate nasals and vomers; a robust and broad jugal; the presence of denticles on palatines, pterygoids, and vomers; the presence of a subdental shelf on the dentary; and a strongly twisted retroarticular process on the mandible. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Eosaniwa is a derived varanoid platynotan, nested within a clade also including mosasauroids, Coniasaurus, and Paravaranus.