Rhinesuchus
Name: Rhinesuchus
(Nose crocodile).
Phonetic: Rine-su-kus.
Named By: Robert Broom - 1908.
Classification: Chordata, Amphibia,
Temnospondyli, Stereospondyli, Rhinesuchidae.
Species: R. whaitsi (type), R.
beaufortensis, R.
broomianus.
Type: Carnivore.
Size: 1 - 3 meteres long.
Known locations: South Africa, Karoo basin.
Time period: Permian.
Fossil representation: Several specimens but some
are only fragmentary remains.
While
not the
last of the large carnivorous amphibians, Rhinesuchus
existed at a
time when the majority of the other species became extinct during the
Permian-triassic extinction event. After this time the reptiles would
become the dominant life forms until the KT extinction.
The
skull on Rhinesuchus had
a flat triangular shape with blunt snout similar to some of the other
large amphibians
and had a palate filled with small sharp teeth suggesting that it
hunted fish. Also, the small eyes were on top of the head
suggesting that it approached its prey from below.
It
is a popular misconception
that Rhinesuchus is named after the Rhine River in
Europe, but
Rhinesuchus actually gets its name from the Greek
word for nose. Two
more species, R. africanus and R.
wadiai, are considered to
be Nomen dubium, while others have been found to be other species.
At the time of writing only R.broomianus and R.
capensis are
recognised.
Further reading
- The Rhinesuchidae and early
history of the Stereospondyli (Amphibia: Temnospondyli) at the end of
the Palaeozoic. - Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. - C. A.
Mariscano, E. Latimer, B. Rubidge & R. M. H. Smith - 2017.
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