Walgettosuchus

Wal-get-toe-sore-us.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Walgettosuchus ‭(‬Walgett crocodile‭)‬.

Phonetic

Wal-get-toe-sore-us.

Named By

Friedrich von Huene‭ ‬-‭ ‬1932.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda.

Diet

Uncertain,‭ ‬but presumed carnivore.

Species

W.‭ ‬woodwardi‭

Size

Uncertain due to incomplete remains.

Known locations

Australia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Griman Creek Formation.

Time Period

Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Single opalised vertebra.

In Depth

       Although the genus name means crocodile,‭ ‬Walgettosuchus was actually a theropod dinosaur,‭ ‬although the single‭ ‬opalised‭ ‬vertebrae that it is known from has been criticised as not being diagnostic enough to establish a specific genus.‭ ‬As such Walgettosuchus is generally regarded as being what is called a nomen dubium,‭ ‬a genus that cannot be definitively confirmed to exist.‭ ‬Many other Australian dinosaur genera have been named from single bones including Ozraptor,‭ ‬Rapator and Kakuru,‭ ‬the latter two also having opalised fossils.

Further Reading

– On remains of a megalosaurian dinosaur from New South Wales. – Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 79: 482-483. – A. S. Woodward – 1910. – Die fossile Reptil-Ordnung Saurischia, ihte Entwicklung und Geschichte. – Monographien zur Geologie und Palaeontologie 1(4). – F. von Huene – 1932. – Problematic Theropoda: “Carnosaurs”. In: Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., and Osm�lska, H. (eds.). The Dinosauria. – Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press:Berkeley and Los Angeles, p. 306-317. – R. E. Molnar – 1990.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT