Cricosaurus
Name:
Cricosaurus
(Ring lizard).
Phonetic: Cre-ko-sor-us.
Named By: Wagner - 1858.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilie,
Thalattosuchia, Metriorhynchidae, Rhacheosaurini.
Species: C. elegans (type),
C. araucanensis, C. bambergensis, C. gracilis, C.
lithographicus, C. macrospondylus, C. puelchorum, C.
saltillensis, C.
schroderi, C. schroederi, C. suevicus, C. vignaudi.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Larger species up to 3 meters long.
Known locations: Argentina, France, Germany,
Mexico.
Time period: Late Jurassic.
Fossil representation: Several individuals, some
almost complete.
Cricosaurus
is a genus of thalattosuchian
(sea crocodile) known to have lived
in the seas around Europe and the Eastern coasts of the Americas.
Cricosaurus seems to have been among the smaller
thalattosuchians,
and one with narrower more gracile jaws. This would denote a
specialisation in hunting smaller prey animals such as fish and squid.
Analysis of Cricosaurus skulls has confirmed the
presence of salt
glands, organs that specialise in removing the excess salts from sea
water that has been consumed, either by drinking or eating.
Pelvis
studies on some specimens of Cricosaurus have to
the suggestion that
Cricosaurus was viviparous, meaning that they gave
birth to live
young instead of laying eggs on land. This would make sense since
evolutionary adaptations for swimming would have made returning to the
land very difficult. Vivapory has also been confirmed in many other
types of marine reptiles.
Further reading
- Zur Kenntniss der Saurier aus den lithographischen Schiefern.
Abhandlungen der Mathemat. - Physikalischen Classe der K�niglich
Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 8: 415-528. - A.
Wagner - 1858.
- Die Reptilien der norddeutschen unteren Kreide. Zeitschrift der
Deutschen geologischen Gesellschaft 35:735-827. - Koken -
1883.
- Die Meerkrokodile (Thalattosuchia n. g.) eine neue
Sauriergruppe der Juraformation. - Jahreshefte des Vereins f�r
vaterl�ndische Naturkunde, W�rttemberg 57: 409-418. - E.
Fraas - 1901.
- un nuevo cocodrilo marino (Thalattosuchia, Metriorhynchidae)
de la Formaci�n Vaca Muerta (Jurasico, Tithoniano) de la
Provincia de Neuqu�n (Rep�blica Argentina). - Congreso
Geol�gico Chileno 1: c1-c21. - Z. B. Gasparini &
D. Dellap� - 1976.
- Geosaurus vignaudi n. sp.
(Crocodyliformes:
Thalattosuchia), first evidence of metriorhynchid crocodilians in
the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) of central-east Mexico (State of
Puebla). - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
39(10):1467-1483 - E. Frey, M.-C. Buchy, W.
Stinnesbeck & J.G. Lopez-Oliva - 2002.
- A new thalattosuchian crocodyliform from the Tithonian (Upper
Jurassic) of northeastern Mexico. - Comptes Rendus Palevol
5:785-794. -M.-C. Buchy, P. Vignaud, E. Frey, W.
Stinnesbeck & A. H. G. Gonzalez - 2006.
- What is Geosaurus? Redescription of Geosaurus
giganteus
(Thalattosuchia: Metriorhynchidae) from the Upper Jurassic of
Bayern, Germany. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,
157: 551-585. - M. T. Young & M. B. de
Andrade - 2009.
- A new Patagonian species of Cricosaurus
(Crocodyliformes,
Thalattosuchia): first evidence of Cricosaurus in Middle-Upper
Tithonian lithographic limestone from Gondwana. - Palaeontology
56(3):663-678. - Y. Herrera, Z. Gasparini &
M. S. Fern�ndez - 2013.
- A new species of the metriorhynchid crocodylomorph Cricosaurus
from
the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany. - Acta Palaeontologica
Polonica 64(2): 343-356. - S. Sachs, M. T. Young,
P. Abel & H. Mallison - 2019.
- Cricosaurus (Thalattosuchia, Metriorhynchidae) survival across the
J/K boundary in the High Andes (Mendoza Province, Argentina). -
Cretaceous Research - Yanina Herrera, Marta S.Fern�ndez &
Ver�nica V.Vennari - 2020.
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