In Depth
Redondasaurus was a large phytosaur that is known to have lived in the USA during the late Triassic period. The largest known skull at the time of writing is about eighty centimetres long, and is very robustly formed. This alone indicates that Redondasaurus was a predator of large vertebrates, perhaps lurking in Late Triassic waters and jumping out at other creatures as they came to the water to drink. Redondasaurus was among the last phytosaurs known to have lived, and features several adaptations that make it notably more advanced than other phytosaurs.
Redondasaurus was named after the Redonda Formation where the holotype fossils were first recovered from. Care should be taken not to confuse Redondasaurus with Redondavenator, a similarly named predator from the same Formation.
Further Reading
- A new phytosaur (Reptilia: Archosauria) genus from the uppermost Triassic of the western United States and its biochonological significance. - The Nonmarine Triassic. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 3:193-196. - A. P. Hunt & S. G. Lucas - 1993. – Juvenile skull of the phytosaur Redondasaurus from the Upper Triassic of New Mexico, and phytosaur ontogeny. – New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin. 61. – Spencer G. Lucas, Justin A. Spielmann & Larry F. Rinehart – 2013.
