Arenysuchus

Ah-re-ne-soo-kus.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Arenysuchus ‭(‬Areny crocodile‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ah-re-ne-soo-kus.

Named By

Eduardo Pu�rtolas,‭ ‬Jos� I.‭ ‬Canudo‭ & ‬Pen�lope Cruzado-Caballero‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Crocodylomorpha,‭ ‬Crocodylia,‭ ‬Crocodyloidea.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬gascabadiolorum‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬18-19‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Spain‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tremp Formation.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and teeth.

In Depth

       A member of the Crocodyloidea which includes surviving modern species,‭ ‬Arenysuchus is still regarded as a more basal form due to the frontal skull bones contacting the fenestra‭ (‬openings‭) ‬on top of the skull.‭ ‬At the time of writing only a partial skull of Arenysuchus is known,‭ ‬but at just under twenty centimetres long it would seem that Arenysuchus was not as huge as some prehistoric crocodiles such as Aegisuchus.‭ ‬Arenysuchus probably hunted for smaller land vertebrates and fish,‭ ‬and may have lived in the same habitats as hadrosaurid dinosaurs like Arenysaurus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A New Crocodylian from the Late Maastrichtian of Spain:‭ ‬Implications for the Initial Radiation of Crocodyloids,‭ ‬Eduardo Pu�rtolas,‭ ‬Jos� I.‭ ‬Canudo‭ & ‬Pen�lope Cruzado-Caballero‭ ‬-‭ ‬2011.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT