Morrinhosuchus
Name:
Morrinhosuchus
(Morrinho crocodile).
Phonetic: Mor-rin-ho-soo-kus.
Named By: F. V. Iori & I. S.
Carvalho - 2009.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Crocodylomorpha, Notosuchia, Ziphosuchia.
Species: M. luziae (type).
Diet: Uncertain/Durophagovore/possible omnivore?
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: Brazil - Adamantina Formation.
Time period: Turonian/Santonian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skull represented by
the anterior (front) half.
Known only from incomplete material, Morrinhosuchus is still an interesting notosuchian. The skull of Morrinhosuchus still retained an antorbital fenestra (an opening in front of the eye socket, and a small notch was present between the premaxilla and maxilla, the two tooth bearing bones of the upper jaw. The mandibles (lower jaw bones) arch upwards as towards the front, and the symphysis where they join together also includes the splenials. The overall shape of the mouth when viewed from above is roughly triangular with the jaws narrowing as they come together towards the front, possibly indicating that Morrinhosuchus was very selective about what it picked up with its mouth.
The
teeth towards the back of the mouth are both bulbous with a circular
cross section. This is a very significant discovery since at the time
of the description, Morrinhosuchus was only the
second notosuchian
known to have had these kind of teeth after the 1999 description of
Mariliasuchus
which is also known from the same formation as
Morrinhosuchus. Because of these teeth, Mariliasuchus
has been
considered to have been similar to a pig in its ecological niche,
meaning a possible omnivorous diet, and the same may be true for
Morrinhosuchus. However some reptiles such as the
crocodile
Brachychampsa,
the pterosaur
Dsungaripterus
and the mosasaur
Globidens
also have rounded teeth for a durophagus (shellfish
eating) diets. The Adamantina Formation is known to have at least
been partial wetland based upon the remains of other creatures such as
turtles there, so it is perhaps not impossible that Morrinhosuchus
ate freshwater shellfish, the narrow anterior mouth making picking
the shellfish up out of tight spaces easier.
Aside
from the aforementioned Morrinhosuchus, other
notosuchians that are
known from the Adamantina Formation include Adamantinasuchus
and
Armadillosuchus.
The Morrinhosuchus genus was named after the
Morrinho de Santa Luzia, a hill near where the type fossils of the
genus were found. The type species name, M. luziae,
is after
the chapel of Santa Luzia which is located on top of the hill.
Further reading
- Morrinhosuchus luziae, um novo
Crocodylomorpha Notosuchia da
Bacia Bauru, Brasil - F. V. Iori & I. S.
Carvalho
- 2009.
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