Paralligatoridae is an extinct

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of neosuchian crocodyliforms that existed during the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

and

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

periods. It includes the genera '' Paralligator'', '' Brillanceausuchus'', '' Kansajsuchus'', '' Shamosuchus'', '' Scolomastax'', '' Sabresuchus'', '' Rugosuchus'', '' Batrachomimus'' and '' Wannchampsus'', as well as the yet-unnamed "Glen Rose form".

Evolution

Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analyses of crocodyliforms find Paralligatoridae to nest within Neosuchia, a large

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

(evolutionary grouping) that also includes modern crocodylians. In crocodyliform phylogeny, paralligatorids are usually found near the base of Neosuchia, outside the clade

Eusuchia Eusuchia is a clade of neosuchian Crocodylomorpha, crocodylomorphs that first appeared in the Early Cretaceous, which includes modern Crocodilia, crocodilians. Along with Dyrosauridae and Sebecosuchia, they were the only crocodyliformes who survi ...

, which includes crocodylians and their closest relatives. Below is a

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

from Montefeltro ''et al.'' (2013) showing the phylogenetic relationships of Paralligatoridae:

References

Late Jurassic crocodylomorphs Early Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs Oxfordian first appearances Maastrichtian extinctions Pseudosuchian families {{paleo-archosaur-stub