In Depth The early days of the formal classification of the phytosaur Parasuchus are a little muddy to say the least. The original description of the genus later turned out to be a ‘chimera’, meaning that the remains described were of two different animals described as one, in this case a phytosaur and a rhynchosaur. … Read more
In Depth Leidyosuchus is an often mentioned genus of alligator that is known to have lived in Canada during the late Cretaceous. With a skull about forty centimetres long, Leidyosuchus would be expected to have been a mid-sized alligator and predator of small mammals and quite possibly small dinosaurs too. There were once many species … Read more
In Depth Teratosaurus was among the first rauisuchians to ever be named, though in the early days of the genus classification, it was actually thought to be a dinosaur. The holotype specimen of Teratosaurus, a partial right maxilla with teeth, was first found near Stuttgart, Germany in the year 1860. The holotype found its way … Read more
In Depth Eocaiman is so named due to the similarity to the modern day Caiman of South America, though Eocaiman appears much earlier in the fossil record, with the earliest examples going all, the way back to the first stage of the Paleocene. Henceforth, Eocaiman is expected to have been quite similar to its modern … Read more
In Depth The most distinctive feature of Proterosuchus is the hook nose caused by the premaxilla curving down and over the lower jaw. This is likely an adaptation to trap small and slippery prey such as fish. It may have also served to increase the amount of grip on its prey. It may have been … Read more
In Depth Anatosuchus was a small terrestrial crocodile with had a very specialised skull morphology, the result of which has been the nick name ‘Duck croc’. The jaws resemble the bill of a duck with a single pointed protrusion extending from the front of the snout. It has been proposed that this protuberance was used … Read more