Litorosuchus
Name:
Litorosuchus
(Littoral crocodile).
Phonetic: Li-or-o-su-kus.
Named By: C. Li, X.-C. Wu, L.-J. Zhao,
S. J. Nesbitt, M. R. Stocker & L.-T. Wang -
2016.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Archosauriformes.
Species: L. somnii (type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: About 2 meters long.
Known locations: China - Falang Formation.
Time period: Ladinian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Almost complete individual,
including soft tissue impressions.
The
name Litorosuchus means ‘littoral crocodile’,
reference to the
littoral (coastal) habitat that Litorosuchus is
thought to have
lived in. Litorosuchus measured about two
meters long, though
just over half of this was tail. The vertebrae of the tail had
strongly developed and enlarged neural arches, and these combined
with the proportionate length clearly indicate that the tail would have
been the primary means of locomotion when swimming in the water.
Preserved with the holotype are soft tissue impressions that show the
toes on the feet of Litorosuchus were webbed,
further adaptation
showing that Litorosuchus spent a lot of time in
the water.
All
in all, Litorosuchus probably still returned to
the land when not
hunting in the water. The aquatic adaptations of Litorosuchus
however
mean that these creatures would have had an easy time moving amongst
tidal pools and lagoons when searching for prey.
Further reading
- A new armored archosauriform (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha)
from the marine Middle Triassic of China, with implications for the
diverse life styles of archosauriforms prior to the diversification of
Archosauria. The Science of Nature 103(11-12). - C. Li,
X.-C. Wu, L.-J. Zhao, S. J. Nesbitt, M. R. Stocker
& L.-T. Wang - 2016.
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