Brachysuchus

Brak-e-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

Brachysuchus.

Phonetic

Brak-e-soo-kus.

Named By

E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Phytosauria,‭ ‬Phytosauridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

B.‭ ‬megalodon‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Texas-‭ ‬Colorado City Formation,‭ ‬and Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Popo Agie Formation.

Time Period

Norian/Rhaetian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Brachysuchus was originally named as a species of Angistorhinus,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬megalodon,‭ ‬but was raised to its own genus in‭ ‬1929.‭ ‬As a phytosaur Brachysuchus would have resembled a crocodile,‭ ‬though evolutionally speaking there was no direct link to them.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Description of the skull of a new form of phytosaur with notes on the characters of described North American phytosaurs.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Memoirs of the University of Michigan Museums,‭ ‬Museum of Paleontology‭ ‬2:‭ ‬1‭–‬56.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929. -‭ ‬A new taxon of phytosaur‭ (‬Archosauria:‭ ‬Pseudosuchia‭) ‬from the Late Triassic‭ (‬Norian‭) ‬Sonsela Member‭ (‬Chinle Formation‭) ‬in Arizona,‭ ‬and a critical re-evaluation of Leptosuchus Case,‭ ‬1922.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Palaeontology‭ ‬53‭ (‬5‭)‬:‭ ‬997‭–‬1022.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Michelle R.‭ ‬Stocker‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT