Leptosuchus

Lep-to-soo-kus.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Leptosuchus.

Phonetic

Lep-to-soo-kus.

Named By

E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1922.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Phytosauria,‭ ‬Leptosuchomorpha.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

L.‭ ‬crosbiensis‭

Size

Details unavailable.

Known locations

USA‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chinle Formation.

Time Period

Carnian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Leptosuchus is a genus of phytosaur that is currently known from a few species.‭ ‬Phytosaurs like Leptosuchus were very much like crocodiles,‭ ‬though they were not actually directly related to them.‭ ‬An exceptionally large skull once assigned as Leptosuchus gregorii,‭ ‬has since been moved to the genus Smilosuchus,‭ ‬though since this time there has been fresh speculation that Smilosuchus might be synonymous with Leptosuchus.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New reptiles and stegocephalians from the Upper Triassic of western Texas.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication‭ ‬221:1-84.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1922. -‭ ‬Two new specimens of phytosaurs from the Upper Triassic of Western Texas.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology,‭ ‬University of Michigan‭ ‬1‭(‬9‭)‬:133-142.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ & ‬T.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬White‭ ‬-‭ ‬1934. -‭ ‬Late Triassic‭ (‬Carnian and Norian‭) ‬tetrapods from the southwestern United States.‭ ‬-‭ ‬New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin‭ ‬4:1-254.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Long‭ & ‬P.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Murry‭ ‬-‭ ‬1995.- A new taxon of phytosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (Norian) Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation) in Arizona, and a critical reevaluation of Leptosuchus Case, 1922. – Palaeontology. 53 (5): 997–1022. – Michelle R. Stocker – 2010.

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