Diplocynodon
Name:
Diplocynodon
(Double dog tooth).
Phonetic: Dip-loe-sy-no-don.
Named By: A. Pomel - 1847.
Synonyms: Baryphracta?, Caimanosuchus,
Enneodon, Hispanochampsa?, Saurocainus.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Crocodylomorpha, Crocodylia, Alligatoroidea, Diplocynodontinae.
Species: D. ratelii
(type), D. dalpiazi, D. darwini, D.
deponiae?, D. elavericus, D. gervaisi, D. hantoniensis,
D. muelleri, D. tormis, D. ungeri.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: About 1.2 meters long.
Known locations: Austria, Belgium, England,
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA, including the
states of New Jersey, Virginia and Wyoming.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous through to
the Serravallian of the Miocene.
Fossil representation: Multiple individuals, some
of which are almost complete.
With
a temporal range that spans from the late Cretaceous to the mid
Miocene, Diplocynodon is yet further proof of how
perfect the
crocodile
form is for survival. Represented by several species, the
Diplocynodon genus has one of the longest known
temporal ranges for a
specific crocodile genus, and seems to have been widespread over at
least Western Europe and the Eastern United States.
The
genus name ‘double dog tooth’ is a reference to two large fang-like
teeth, which are among the signature features of the genus.
Diplocynodon is also one of the best preserved
crocodile genera,
particularly specimens that have been recovered from the world famous
Messel Pit. The anoxic (oxygen deficient) conditions at the
bottom of this prehistoric lake were so perfect for preserving the
bodies of dead animals that most of the skeletal elements of
Diplocynodon are known.
Diplocynodon
are perceived as alligator-like and dietary wise they are thought to
have been similar to modern alligators too. Young hatchling
Diplocynodon would have hunted insects and other
invertebrates as well
as small vertebrates too. As they grew bigger, Diplocynodon
would
switch to slightly larger vertebrates including fish, mammals,
birds, more or less anything that they could catch. Diplocynodon
are also noted for having a tough covering of scales all over their
bodies including their bellies. This might indicate that Diplocynodon
spent a large amount of time on land or scrambling over obstacles,
hence the need for an armoured belly. The armoured belly might also
indicate the presence of other predators potentially more dangerous
than Diplocynodon which resulted in the need for
extra armour.
The
Diplocynodon genus has a long classification history
with several other
named genera now referred to represent this genus. The Cretaceous
crocodile genus Tadzhikosuchus
from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has also
been considered to be a synonym of Diplocynodon
because it differs only
in the form of its tooth sockets and tooth arrangement. If correct
then not only will this reinforce the origin of the Diplocynodon
genus
in the late cretaceous, but it will also extend the known geographic
range of this crocodile into central Asia. By extension another genus
of crocodile called Zhyrosuchus
which has been considered to be a
synonym of Tadzhikosuchus may end up being a
synonym of Diplocynodon,
though the fragmentary remains of Zhyrosuchus make
it hard to be
certain of this.
Further reading
- Diplocynodon muelleri comb. nov., an
Oligocene diplocynodontine
alligatoroid from Catalonia (Ebro Basin, Lleida Province, Spain)
- Paolo Pirasa & Angela D. Buscalionib - 2006.
- A new species of Diplocynodon (Crocodylia,
Alligatoroidea)
from the Late Eocene of the Massif Central, France, and the
evolution of the genus in the climatic context of the Late Palaeogene
- Jeremy E. Martin - 2010.
- Taxonomic clarification of Diplocynodon Pomel,
1847
(Crocodilia) from the Miocene of Styria, Austria - Jeremy E.
Martin & Martin Gross - 2011.
- Reappraisal of the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the
middle Eocene alligatoroid Diplocynodon deponiae
(Frey, Laemmert,
and Riess, 1987) based on a three-dimensional specimen -
Massimo Delfino & Thierry Smith - 2012.
- Mesozoic crocodyliforms of north-central Eurasia. In M. J.
Benton, M. A. Shishkin, D. M. Unwin, E. N.
Kurochkin (eds.), The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia
402-419 - G. W. Storrs and M. B. Efimov - 2000.
- Diplocynodon muelleri comb. nov., an Oligocene diplocynodontine
alligatoroid from Catalonia (Ebro Basin, Lleida Province, Spain). -
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (3): 608–620. - Paolo Pirasa
& Angela D. Buscalionib - 2006.
- A new species of Diplocynodon (Crocodylia,
Alligatoroidea) from the
Late Eocene of the Massif Central, France, and the evolution of the
genus in the climatic context of the Late Palaeogene. - Geological
Magazine. 147 (4): 596–610. - Jeremy E. Martin - 2010.
- Taxonomic clarification of Diplocynodon Pomel,
1847 (Crocodilia) from
the Miocene of Styria, Austria. - Neues Jahrbuch f�r Geologie und
Pal�ontologie - Abhandlungen. 261 (2): 177–193. - Jeremy E. Martin
& Martin Gross - 2011.
- Reappraisal of the morphology and phylogenetic relationships of the
middle Eocene alligatoroid Diplocynodon deponiae (Frey, Laemmert, and
Riess, 1987) based on a three-dimensional specimen. - Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (6): 1358–1369. - Massimo Delfino &
Thierry Smith - 2012.
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