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Gavialoids
Gavialoidea is one of three superfamilies of crocodylians, the other two being Alligatoroidea and Crocodyloidea. Although many extinct species are known, only the gharial ''Gavialis gangeticus'' and the false gharial ''Tomistoma schlegelii'' are alive today, with '' Hanyusuchus'' having become extinct in the last few centuries. Extinct South American gavialoids likely dispersed in the mid Tertiary from Africa and Asia. Fossil remains of the Puerto Rican gavialoid ''Aktiogavialis puertorisensis'' were discovered in a cave located in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico and dated to the Oligocene. This individual is thought to have crossed the Atlantic coming from Africa, indicating that this species was able to withstand saltwater. Classification Gavialoidea is cladistically defined as ''Gavialis gangeticus'' (the gharial) and all crocodylians closer to it than to ''Alligator mississippiensis'' (the American alligator) or ''Crocodylus niloticus'' (the Nile crocodile). This is a stem-b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eosuchus
''Eosuchus'' ("dawn crocodile") is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodylomorph, traditionally regarded as a gavialoid crocodilian. It might have been among the most basal of all gavialoids, lying crownward of all other known members of the superfamily, including earlier putative members such as '' Thoracosaurus'' and '' Eothoracosaurus''. Fossils have been found from France as well as eastern North America in Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey. The strata from which specimens have been found date back to the late Paleocene and early Eocene epochs. Discovery The name ''Eosuchus'' was first used in 1907 to describe a single specimen found from northern France near the Belgian border, assigned to the type species ''Eosuchus lerichei''. A second species, ''Eosuchus minor'', was actually discovered earlier in 1870 by Othniel Charles Marsh, but was assigned to the genus ''Gavialis''. The ''Gavialis minor'' holotype specimen YPM 282 consisted of cranial fragments and isolat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudogavialis
''Pseudogavialis'' is an extinct genus of gavialoid from the Oligocene to Miocene Laki Hills, Laki and Bugti Hills of Pakistan (probably the Chitarwata Formation, Chitarwata and Chinji Formations). ''Pseudogavialis'' was originally named by Richard Lydekker as ''"Gharialis" curvirostris'' in 1886, a misspelling of ''Gavialis'', the genus that contains today's Indian gharial. Eventually it was recognized that the material belonged to a distinct genus, which was named ''Pseudogavialis'' in 2025. Like the closely related modern Indian gharial, ''Pseudogavialis'' had long and slender jaws with numerous interlocking teeth. It might have reached a length of up to . History and naming Remains of fossil gavialoids have been known from Pakistan since around the late 19th century, with several being named as new species related to the modern gharial. Among these was ''"Gharialis" curvirostris'', which was discovered during the early 19th century (no later than 1846) and was described by Ric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aktiogavialis
''Aktiogavialis'' is an extinct genus of crocodylian that lived from the Oligocene until the Miocene in what is now the Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America .... Two species have been described: ''Aktiogavialis puertoricensis'' from the Middle Oligocene of Puerto Rico and ''Aktiogavialis caribesi'' from the Huayquerian of the Late Miocene of Venezuela. As a typical Gavialidae, gavialoid, ''Aktiogavialis'' followed the standard crocodilian body plan. An elongated, squat quadrupedal body terminated in a long, laterally flattened tail at one end, and a specialized, narrow snout at the other. As with the other members of its family, the snout of ''Aktiogavialis'' was extremely long and narrow, tapering into a thin structure past the orbit (anatomy), eye sockets. Bas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crocodylia
Crocodilia () is an Order (biology), order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchian, a subset of archosaurs that appeared about 235 million years ago and were the only survivors of the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. While other crocodylomorph groups further survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, notably sebecosuchians, only the crocodilians have survived into the Quaternary. The order includes the crocodile, true crocodiles (Family (biology), 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 families, the term "crocodilians" is less ambiguous. Extant crocodilians have flat heads with long snouts and tails that are compressed on the si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crocodylian
Crocodilia () is an order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorph pseudosuchian, a subset of archosaurs that appeared about 235 million years ago and were the only survivors of the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event. While other crocodylomorph groups further survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, notably sebecosuchians, only the crocodilians have survived into the Quaternary. The order 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 families, the term "crocodilians" is less ambiguous. Extant crocodilians have flat heads with long snouts and tails that are compressed on the sides, with their eyes, ears, and nostril ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eothoracosaurus
''Eothoracosaurus'' is an extinct monospecific genus of eusuchian crocodylomorphs found in Eastern United States which existed during the Late Cretaceous period. ''Eothoracosaurus'' is considered to belong to an informally named clade called the "thoracosaurs", named after the closely related ''Thoracosaurus''. Thoracosaurs in general were traditionally thought to be related to the modern false gharial, largely because the nasal bones contact the premaxillae, but phylogenetic work starting in the 1990s instead supported affinities within gavialoid exclusive of such forms. Even more recent phylogenetic studies suggest that thoracosaurs might instead be non-crocodilian eusuchians. Discovery and naming Fossils are known from the Ripley Formation in Mississippi and date back to the early Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Some fragmentary material from the Coon Creek Formation of western Tennessee dating back to the late Campanian (slightly older than the specimens fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Argochampsa
''Argochampsa'' (meaning "Argo crocodile", in reference to the mythological ''Argo'' of Jason) is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodylomorph, usually regarded as a gavialoid crocodilian, related to modern gharials. It lived in the Paleocene of Morocco. Described by Hua and Jouve in 2004, the type species is ''A. krebsi'', with the species named for . ''Argochampsa'' had a long narrow snout, and appears to have been marine in habits. Description ''Argochampsa'' is based on OCP DEK-GE 1201, a nearly complete skull from the Oulad Abdoun Basin, in the vicinity of Khouribga, Morocco. The skull, 43.3 centimeters long (17.0 in), had a long, narrow snout, marking it as a longirostrine crocodilian; the snout made up about 70% of the skull's length. The premaxillae at the tip of the snout were downturned, and the tip somewhat squared off, with the first few tooth positions in a straight line perpendicular to the long axis of the skull. There were five teeth in each premax ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Portugalosuchus
''Portugalosuchus'' (meaning "crocodile from Portugal") is an extinct genus of eusuchian crocodyliform that was possibly a basal crocodylian – if so then it would be the oldest known crocodylian to date. The type species is ''P. azenhae'', described in 2018, and it is known from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)-aged Tentugal Formation in Portugal. A 2021 morphological study recovered ''Portugalosuchus'' within Crocodylia as a member of Gavialidae closely related to similar "thoracosaurs" (e.g. ''Thoracosaurus''), while also noting that it might also possibly be outside of Crocodylia completely. A 2022 tip dating analysis incorporating both morphological and DNA data placed ''Portugalosuchus'' outside of Crocodylia, as the sister taxon of the family Allodaposuchidae. A cladogram simplified after that analysis is shown below: The morphology-based phylogenetic analyses based on the new neuroanatomical data obtained from its skull using micro-CT scans suggested that this taxon ... [...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 specime ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paratomistoma
''Paratomistoma'' (meaning "next to or near ''Tomistoma''") is an extinct monospecific genus of gavialoid crocodylian. It is based on the holotype specimen CGM 42188, a partial posterior skull and lower jaw discovered at Wadi Hitan, Egypt, in Middle Eocene-age rocks of the Gehannam Formation. The skull is unfused but considered morphologically mature. ''Paratomistoma'' was named in 2000 by Christopher Brochu and Philip Gingerich; the type species is ''P. courti'' in honor of Nicholas Court, who found CGM 42188. They performed a phylogenetic analysis and found ''Paratomistoma'' to be a derived member of Tomistominae, related to the false gharial. It may have been a marine or coastal crocodilian. Below is a cladogram based morphological studies comparing skeletal features that shows ''Paratomistoma'' as a member of Tomistominae: Based on morphological studies of extinct taxa, the tomistomines were long thought to be classified as crocodiles and not closely re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maroccosuchus
''Maroccosuchus zennaroi'' is an extinct gavialoid crocodylian from the Early Eocene of Morocco, traditionally regarded as a member of the subfamily Tomistominae. Below is a cladogram based on morphological studies comparing skeletal features that shows ''Maroccosuchus'' as a member of Tomistominae, related to the false gharial: Based on morphological studies of extinct taxa, the tomistomines were long thought to be classified as crocodiles and not closely related to gavialoids. However, recent molecular studies using DNA sequencing have consistently indicated that the false gharial (''Tomistoma'') (and by inference other related extinct forms in Tomistominae) actually belong to Gavialoidea (and Gavialidae). Below is a cladogram from a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data that shows ''Maroccosuchus'' as an early-diverging gavialoid, more basal than the last common ancestor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dollosuchoides
''Dollosuchoides'', colloquially known as the Crocodile of Maransart, is an extinct monospecific genus of gavialoid crocodilian, traditionally regarded as a member of the subfamily Tomistominae. Fossils have been found in the Brussels Formation of Maransart, Belgium and date back to the middle Eocene. The holotype, IRScNB 482, was discovered in 1915 and it was prepared during 1926–1927 by M. Hubert, J. Mehschaert and M. Jean de Kleermaeker, and also in 1927, Louis Dollo had the holotype put on display in the Museum of Natural Sciences and he intended to describe the specimen but he died in 1931 before he was able to describe it and the specimen was eventually referred to '' Dollosuchus'' by Swinton (1937)Swinton, W. E. (1937)The Crocodile of Maransart (Dollosuchus dixoni [Owen]).''Mémoire'' 80: 3–46 until it was moved to its own genus by Brochu (2007). It is currently housed in the Gand Museum in Belgium. Phylogeny Below is a cladogram based morphological stud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
