Notosuchus

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Notosuchus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 85  Ma
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Notosuchus BW.jpg
Life restoration of Notosuchus terrestris
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Crocodylomorpha
Clade: Crocodyliformes
Clade: Notosuchia
Family: Notosuchidae
Genus: Notosuchus
Woodward, 1896
Species
  • N. terrestrisWoodward, 1896 (type)
  • N. lepidusSaez, 1957

Notosuchus ( /ntəˈskəs/ ; 'southern crocodile') is an extinct genus of South American notosuchian crocodyliforms. It was terrestrial, living approximately 85 million years ago in the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous. [1]

Description

Notosuchus was relatively small, reaching 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length and a weight of 36 kg (79 lb). [2] Remains have been found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Patagonia, Argentina. First named in 1896, Notosuchus was the first known notosuchian. [3] The type species is N. terrestris. A second species, N. lepidus, was named in 1957. [4]

A paper published in 2008 by Fiorelli and Calvo described new remains of the type species N. terrestris. [5] In it, the authors suggested that the skull would have supported a short trunk, or "hog's snout" as well as fleshy upper and lower lips. The anteriorly directed nares and the absence of a bony nasal septum (which presumably indicates cartilaginous tissue serving its place) provide evidence for a trunk-like snout, while striations on the surface of the nasal bones and the lower jaw most likely acted as attachment points for the nasolabial muscles and the depressor muscle, respectively. [6] Additionally, the authors suggested that a lateral rim on the dentary as well as numerous aligned neurovascular foramina are evidence of soft cheek-like muscular tissue. The function of the trunk was likely used for searching for food by sniffing the ground in a manner similar to extant suids and peccaries, while the cheeks would aid in mastication by preventing food loss. [5] A re-description of the skull material has since lent evidence toward minimal soft-tissue enhancement to the snout of Notosuchus. [7]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notosuchia</span> Extinct suborder of reptiles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comahuesuchidae</span> Extinct family of reptiles

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References

  1. Hugo, CA; Leanza, HA (2001). "Hoja Geológica 3969-IV, General Roca. Provincias de Río Negro y Neuquén". Boletín Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino, Instituto de Geología y Recursos Minerales. 308: 1–65.
  2. "Notosuchus - paleofiles.com".
  3. Woodward, AS (1896). "On Two Mesozoic Crocodilians Notosuchus (Genus Novum) and Cynodontosuchus (Genus Novum) from the Red Sandstone of the Territory of Neuquen (Argentine Republic)". Anales del Museo de la Plata, Paleontologia Argentina. 6: 1–20.
  4. Saez, MD (1957). "Crocodiloideos Fosiles Argentinos un nuevo Crocodilo del Mesozoico Argentino". Ameghiniana. 1–2: 49–50.
  5. 1 2 Fiorelli, L. E.; Calvo, J. O. (2008). "New remains of Notosuchus terrestris Woodward, 1896 (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) from Late Cretaceous of Neuquen, Patagonia, Argentina". Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. 66 (1): 83–124.
  6. Fiorelli, L. E. (2005). "Nuevos restos de Notosuchus terrestris Woodward, 1896 (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) del Cretácico Superior (Santoniano) de la Provincia de Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina". 79p. Tesis (Grado) Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba.
  7. Barrios, F.; Bona, P; Carabajal, A.P.; Gasparini, Z. (2017). "Re-description of the cranio-mandibular anatomy of Notosuchus terrestris (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia". Cretaceous Research. 83: 3–39. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.08.016. hdl: 11336/32766 .