Kemkemia

Kem-kem-e-ah.
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Maeve Foster

Paleoclimatologist

Maeve Foster explores the Earth's climatic past to understand the forces that shaped life on our planet. Her research into ancient climate events provides valuable context for current environmental challenges.

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Name

Kemkemia.

Phonetic

Kem-kem-e-ah.

Named By

A.‭ ‬Cau‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬Maganuco‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.

Classification

Chordata,‭ Reptilia, Crocodylomorpha.

Diet

Carnivore‭?

Species

K.‭ ‬auditorei‭

Size

Holotype vertebra‭ ‬60.48‭ ‬millimetres long,‭ ‬33.81‭ ‬millimetres high.‭ ‬Total size unknown due to lack of fossil remains.‭

Known locations

Morocco.

Time Period

Cenomanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

One Caudal‭ (‬tail‭) ‬vertebra.

In Depth

       When first described Kemkemia was originally thought to be a theropod dinosaur,‭ ‬and one with unusual vertebrae.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬three years after the description of Kemkemia,‭ ‬a new paper re-identified the holotype specimen of Kemkemia as actually being from a crocodile.‭ ‬So far,‭ ‬Kemkemia is only known from a single tail vertebra,‭ ‬which makes it next to impossible to establish any lifestyle traits about this animal.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new theropod dinosaur,‭ ‬represented by a single unusual caudal vertebra,‭ ‬from the Kem Kem Beds‭ (‬Cretaceous‭) ‬of Morocco.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Atti della Societ� italiana di scienze naturali e del museo civico di storia naturale di Milano‭ ‬150:239-257.‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Cau‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬Maganuco‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009. -‭ ‬Crocodyliform affinities for Kemkemia auditorei Cau and Maganuco,‭ ‬2009,‭ ‬from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Atti della Societ� Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano,‭ ‬153‭ (‬I‭)‬,‭ ‬s.‭ ‬119‭–‬126.‭ ‬-‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Lio,‭ ‬F.‭ ‬Agnolin,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Cau‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬Maganuco‭ ‬-‭ ‬2012.

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