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Atacisaurus
''Atacisaurus'' is an extinct dubious genus of gavialoid crocodylian. Fossils have been found in the Grès de Carcassonne Member of the Sables du Castrais Formation in Laure-Minervois, France that date back to the Middle Eocene. Discovery and naming The holotype, discovered in 1919 by M. Finestres in Laure-Minervois and previously housed at the Société d'Etudes Scientifiques de l'Aude, is an anterior portion of a mandible which is now lost, and MHNT.PAL.2012.0.49, a partial skull from a different specimen is also known, which was donated to the History Museum of Toulouse in 1873 by Henri de Sévérac; MHNT.PAL.2012.0.49 has since been partially prepared at sometime between 1931 and 17 April 2016. The type species, ''A. glareae'', was named and described by Gaston Astre in 1931.Astre, G. (1931). "Les crocodiliens fossiles des terrains tertiaires sous pyrénéens". ''Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire naturelle de Toulouse''. 61: 25–71. A snout fragment from the Histor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dentaneosuchus
''Dentaneosuchus'' is a genus of large bodied Sebecidae, sebecid crocodylomorph from the Middle Eocene of Issel, Aude, Issel and Réalmont (France). Originally described as ''Atacisaurus crassiproratus'', the discovery of additional remains led to it being placed in a separate genus in 2023. It was tentatively recovered as the basalmost member of the family Sebecidae. Because of this ''Dentaneosuchus'' could play an important part in deciphering the origins and dispersal of European sebecids, as their presence on the continent, far away from their primary range in South America, is still not entirely resolved. It reached a similar size to the enormous ''Barinasuchus'', making it not only one of the biggest sebecids but also the biggest terrestrial carnivore of Cenozoic Europe. ''Dentaneosuchus'' would have been an apex predator of its environment, capable of taking large prey such as ''Lophiodon''. However, for as of yet unknown reasons crocodylomorphs would lose their spot as to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iberosuchus
''Iberosuchus'' (meaning "Iberian crocodile") is a genus of extinct sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian found in Western Europe from the Eocene. Remains from Portugal was described in 1975 by Antunes as a sebecosuchian crocodilian. This genus has one species: ''I. macrodon'' (meaning "large toothed). ''Iberosuchus'' was a carnivore, unlike the crocodilians today, they are not aquatic and are instead terrestrial. The first of its fossils were cranial remains found in Portugal, and later more fossils were found in France and Spain. They are only known from very fragmentary fossils, elements of the skull, dentary, teeth and osteoderm. History and discovery Remains of a mesocrocodylian were found in Portugal, it was named ''Iberosuchus macrodon'' in 1975 by Antunes, and is assigned as the type species. It was reclassified as a baurusuchid by Robert Carroll in 1988. In 1996 Ortega and colleges extended their range to France, they analyzed the fragmentary fossils of ''Atacisaurus crassi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sables Du Castrais Formation
The Sables du Castrais Formation, also known as the Molasses du Castrais, is a geologic formation of Eocene (Ypresian to Bartonian) age, outcropping in the Montagne Noire, Montagne-Noire region of France.Noulet, J.-B. (1858) – Du terrain éocène supérieur considéré comme l’un des étages constitutifs des Pyrénées. ''Bulletin de la Société géologique de France'', 1858, p. 277-284 History "Petrifaction, Petrified fossil remains" were known from the Sables du Castrais Formation since at least the 18th century,Fauré, Philippe. (2011). UN PATRIMOINE GEOLOGIQUE PEU CONNU : LES GISEMENTS DE VERTEBRES FOSSILES DE L’EOCENE MOYEN DU CASTRAIS (TARN, LUTETIEN SUPERIEUR A BARTONIEN SUPERIEUR). and several of these fossils were described by Georges Cuvier, Cuvier (1804) and Cuvier (1822) as belonging to ''Palaeotherium'' and ''Lophiodon''.Cuvier, G. (1822) – Recherche sur les ossements fossiles où l’on rétablit les caractères de plusieurs animaux dont les révolutions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene Reptiles Of Europe
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "dawn") and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isotope 13C in the atmosphere was exceptionally low in comparison with the more common isotope 12C. The end is set at a major extinction event called the ''Grande Coupure'' (the "Great Break" in continuity) or the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event, which may be related to the impact of one or more large bolides in Siberia and in what is now Chesapeake Bay. As with other geologic periods, the strata that define the start and end of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene Crocodylomorphs
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "dawn") and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isotope Carbon-13, 13C in the atmosphere was exceptionally low in comparison with the more common isotope Carbon-12, 12C. The end is set at a major extinction event called the ''Grande Coupure'' (the "Great Break" in continuity) or the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event, which may be related to the impact of one or more large bolides in Popigai impact structure, Siberia and in what is now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crocodilia
Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period ( Cenomanian stage) and are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria. Members of the order's total group, the clade Pseudosuchia, appeared about 250 million years ago in the Early Triassic period, and diversified during the Mesozoic era. The order Crocodilia includes the true crocodiles (family Crocodylidae), the alligators and caimans (family Alligatoridae), and the gharial and false gharial (family Gavialidae). Although the term 'crocodiles' is sometimes used to refer to all of these, crocodilians is a less ambiguous vernacular term for members of this group. Large, solidly built, lizard-like reptiles, crocodilians have long flattened snouts, laterally compressed tails, and eyes, ears, and nostrils ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megadontosuchus
''Megadontosuchus'' is an extinct monospecific genus of gavialoid crocodylian, traditionally regarded as a member of Tomistominae, from the middle Eocene of Italy. Fossils have been found from Monte Duello in the province of Verona. The genus is currently monotypic, with the type and only species being ''Megadontosuchus arduini''. The species was originally named in 1880, although it was assigned to the genus ''Crocodilius'' (now spelled ''Crocodylus''). The genus was first erected by paleontologist Charles C. Mook in 1955 along with the genus ''Kentisuchus'', which was also first classified as ''Crocodilius''. No holotype for ''Megadontosuchus'' was designated in 1880, and a lectotype wasn't proposed until 2007. ''Megadontosuchus'' differs from other traditional "tomistomines" in that it has a more robust rostrum, very large teeth (hence the generic name meaning ''big-toothed crocodile''), and large supratemporal fenestrae on the skull table The skull roof, or the roofing bo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gavialidae
Gavialidae is a family of large semiaquatic crocodilians with elongated, narrow snouts. Gavialidae consists of two living species, the gharial (''Gavialis gangeticus'') and the false gharial (''Tomistoma schlegelii''), both occurring in Asia. Many extinct members are known from a broader range, including the recently extinct ''Hanyusuchus''. Gavialids are generally regarded as lacking the jaw strength to capture the large mammalian prey favoured by crocodiles and alligators of similar size so their thin snout is best used to catch fish, however the false gharial has been found to have a generalist diet with mature adults preying upon larger vertebrates, such as ungulates. Taxonomy The family Gavialidae was proposed by Arthur Adams in 1854 for reptiles with a very long and slender muzzle, webbed feet and nearly equal teeth. It is currently recognized as a crown group, meaning that it only includes the last common ancestor of all extant (living) gavialids (the gharial and false gha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kentisuchus
''Kentisuchus'' is an extinct genus of gavialoid crocodylian, traditionally regarded as a member of the subfamily Tomistominae. Fossils have been found from England and France that date back to the early Eocene. The genus has also been recorded from Ukraine, but it unclear whether specimens from Ukraine are referable to ''Kentisuchus''. Species The genus ''Kentisuchus'' was erected by Charles Mook in 1955 for the species ''"Crocodylus" toliapicus'', described by Richard Owen, in 1849. William Buckland named ''"Crocodylus" spenceri'' on the basis of a partial skull found from the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. In 1888 Richard Lydekker considered ''"C." toliapicus'' synonymous with ''"C." champsoides'' and ''"C." arduini'', named by De Zigno, and reapplied the name ''"C." spenceri'' to all of these species. The genus name ''Kentisuchus'' was constructed only after it was realized that these specimens were clearly distinct from the genus ''Crocodylus'' and that some specimen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sebecus
''Sebecus'' (meaning " Sebek" in Latin) is an extinct genus of sebecid crocodylomorph from Eocene of South America. Like other sebecosuchians, it was entirely terrestrial and carnivorous. The genus is currently represented by two species, the type ''S. icaeorhinus'' and ''S. ayrampu''. Several other species have been referred to ''Sebecus'', but were later reclassified as their own genera. History and species Named by American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson in 1937, ''Sebecus'' was one of the first known sebecosuchians. Simpson described the type species, ''S. icaeorhinus'', from a fragmented skull and lower jaw found in the Sarmiento Formation. The specimen was discovered by the American Museum of Natural History's First Scarritt Expedition to Patagonia, during 1930 and 1931. Teeth had been known since 1906 when Argentine paleontologist Florentino Ameghino associated them with carnivorous dinosaurs. The more complete material found by Simpson firmly established that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asiatosuchus
''Asiatosuchus'' is an extinct genus of crocodyloid crocodilians that lived in Eurasia during the Paleogene. Many Paleogene crocodilians from Europe and Asia have been attributed to ''Asiatosuchus'' since the genus was named in 1940. These species have a generalized crocodilian morphology typified by flat, triangular skulls. The feature that traditionally united these species under the genus ''Asiatosuchus'' is a broad connection or symphysis between the two halves of the lower jaw. Recent studies of the evolutionary relationships of early crocodilians along with closer examinations of the morphology of fossil specimens suggest that only the first named species of ''Asiatosuchus'', ''A. grangeri'' from the Eocene of Mongolia, belongs in the genus. Most species are now regarded as '' nomina dubia'' or "dubious names", meaning that their type specimens lack the unique anatomical features necessary to justify their classification as distinct species. Other species such as ''"A." ger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orinoco Crocodile
The Orinoco crocodile (''Crocodylus intermedius'') is a critically endangered crocodile. Its population is very small, and they can only be found in the Orinoco river basin in Colombia and Venezuela. Extensively hunted for their skins in the 19th and 20th centuries, it is one of the most endangered species of crocodiles. It is a very large species of crocodilian; males have been reported up to in the past, but such sizes do not exist today, being a more widely accepted maximum size. A large male today may attain in length and can weigh up to , while females are substantially smaller with the largest likely to weigh around . Sexual dimorphism is not as profound as in other crocodilian species. The coloration is light even in adults. The biology of the Orinoco crocodile is poorly documented in the wild, mostly due its small population. It is thought to have a more piscivorous diet with an opportunistic nature, resulting in generalist predatory behavior. The Orinoco crocodil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
