Paleorhinus

Pay-le-o-rhy-nus.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Paleorhinus ‭(‬Old nose‭)‬.

Phonetic

Pay-le-o-rhy-nus.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Crurotarsi,‭ ‬Phytosauria.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬bransoni‭

Size

Roughly about‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Germany‭ ‬-‭ ‬Hassberge Formation.‭ ‬Poland‭ ‬-Drawno Beds Formation.‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬Arizona‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chinle Formation,‭ ‬Texas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Colorado City Formation,‭ ‬Tecovas Formation,‭ ‬and Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Popo Agie Formation.

Time Period

Carnian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Numerous individuals,‭ ‬though often of partial remains.

In Depth

       Paleorhinus has been one of the key phytosaur genera for well over a hundred years now,‭ ‬however many of the species once assigned to‭ ‬the genus have now been re-assigned to other genera.‭ ‬At the time of writing the only recognised species of Paleorhinus are the type species P.‭ ‬bransoni from the USA,‭ ‬and P.‭ ‬angustifrons and P.‭ ‬cf.‭ ‬arenaceus from Germany and Poland respectively.

       Like all phytosaurs,‭ ‬Paleorhinus was not related to crocodiles,‭ ‬yet would have been very much like a modern crocodile in overall appearance and ecological niche.‭ ‬Though Paleorhinus would have rested on land,‭ ‬most hunting would have been done in the water.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Notice of some new reptiles from the Upper Trias of Wyoming.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Geology‭ ‬12:688-697.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Williston‭ ‬-‭ ‬1904. -‭ ‬Weitere Parasuchier und Labyrinthodonten aus dem Blasensandstein des mittleren Keuper von Ebrach‭ [‬Further parasuchians and labyrinthodonts from the Blasensandstein of the middle Keuper of Ebrach‭]‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Pal�ontographica Abteilung A‭ ‬83:61-98.‭ ‬-‭ ‬O.‭ ‬Kuhn‭ ‬-‭ ‬1936. -‭ ‬A review of the early Late Triassic Krasiej�w biotafrom Silesia,‭ ‬Poland.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Palaeontologia Polonica‭ ‬64‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬3‭–‬27.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Dzik‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬Sulej‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007. – Francosuchus‭’ ‬trauthi is not Paleorhinus:‭ ‬Implications for Late Triassic vertebrate biostratigraphy.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬33‭ (‬4‭)‬:‭ ‬858‭–‬864.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Butler‭ ‬-‭ ‬2013.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT