In Depth
Doswellia was a two meter long reptile that had an elongated body that was protected by a covering of bony scutes in a similar manner to a crocodile. Doswellia had a triangular shaped skull when viewed from above, the snout being much narrower than the posterior regions of the skull. The skull of Doswellia also identifies it as a euryapsid, a member of the Euryapsida, a group of reptiles similar to diapsids, but where the lower temporal fenestra has closed in on itself. These reptiles became quite common in the past with members including plesiosaurs and the placodonts, though today there are no known surviving members of this group. Doswellia has in the past been considered as uncertain in its ecological role, though it has often been mentioned as a predator of small animals. The narrow snout of Doswellia would have been of particular use for reaching into crevices to pluck out hiding prey.
Doswellia is the type genus of the Doswelliidae, a group of archosauriforms that also includes Archeopelta and Tarjadia.
Further Reading
- An unusual newly discovered archosaur from the Upper Triassic of Virginia, U.S.A. - R. E. Weems - 1980. - A new species of the enigmatic archosauromorph Doswellia from the Upper Triassic Bluewater Creek Formation, New Mexico,,USA. - Andrew B. Heckert, Spencer G.Lucas & Justin A.Spielmann - 2012. - Redescription and phylogenetic relationships of Doswellia kaltenbachi(Diapsida: Archosauriformes) from the Upper Triassic of Virginia. - D. Dilkes & H. D. Sues - 2009.
