Machimosaurus
Name:
Machimosaurus
(machimoi lizard).
Phonetic: Ma-chi-mo-sore-us.
Named By: vonMeyer - 1837.
Synonyms: Machimosaurus ferox,
Machimosaurus interruptus, Steneosaurus bouchardi, Steneosaurus
hulkei.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Crocodylomorpha, Neosuchia, Thalattosuchia, Teleosauridae,
Machimosaurini.
Species: M. hugii (type),
M. buffetauti, M. mosae, M. nowackianus, M. rex.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Largest skulls up to 1.55 meters long.
maximum body lengths typically estimated at around 7 meters long.
Known locations: England. Ethiopia. France.
Germany. Portugal. Spain. Switzerland. Sudan. Tunisia.
Time period: Kimmeridgian/Tithonian of the Jurassic
to the Early Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Numerous individuals.
There are a great number of known thalattosuchian
(a.k.a. sea
crocodiles) genera known to us, and amongst these it is the species
of the Machimosaurus genus that are amongst the
largest known to us.
The largest skulls of Machimosaurus have been
confirmed to be over one
and a half meters in length, which in turn has led to size estimates
of at least seven metres long for the whole animal (though other
estimates suggest eight or even nine meters long).
Machimosaurus
seem to have been more generalist hunters, perhaps with a
specialsation for tougher or even armoured prey. This idea comes from
analysis of Machimosaurus teeth which are strongly
developed with
rounded tips. These would have been ideal for crunching through the
shells of turtles and ammonites, or even scavenging carrion of larger
marine creatures. The wide geographic distribution of known
Machimosaurus fossils across Europe and Africa is a
clear indication
that Machimosaurus was a very successful genus.
Further reading
- Revision of the Late Jurassic teleosaurid genus Machimosaurus
(Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia). - Royal Society Open
Science 1:140222. - M. T. Young, S. Hua, L. Steel,
D. Foffa, S. L. Brusatte, S. Thuring, O. Mateus, J.
I. Ruiz-Omenaca, P. Havlik, Y. Lepage, and M. B.
Andrade - 2014.
- The largest thalattosuchian (Crocodylomorpha) supports
teleosaurid survival across the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. -
Cretaceous Research. - F. Fanti, T. Miyashita, L.
Cantelli, F. Mnasri, J. Dridi, M. Contessi & A.
Cau - 2016.
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