Brachysuchus

Brak-e-soo-kus.
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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

Brachysuchus.

Phonetic

Brak-e-soo-kus.

Named By

E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Phytosauria,‭ ‬Phytosauridae.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

B.‭ ‬megalodon‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Texas-‭ ‬Colorado City Formation,‭ ‬and Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Popo Agie Formation.

Time Period

Norian/Rhaetian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Several individuals.

In Depth

       Brachysuchus was originally named as a species of Angistorhinus,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬megalodon,‭ ‬but was raised to its own genus in‭ ‬1929.‭ ‬As a phytosaur Brachysuchus would have resembled a crocodile,‭ ‬though evolutionally speaking there was no direct link to them.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Description of the skull of a new form of phytosaur with notes on the characters of described North American phytosaurs.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Memoirs of the University of Michigan Museums,‭ ‬Museum of Paleontology‭ ‬2:‭ ‬1‭–‬56.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Case‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929. -‭ ‬A new taxon of phytosaur‭ (‬Archosauria:‭ ‬Pseudosuchia‭) ‬from the Late Triassic‭ (‬Norian‭) ‬Sonsela Member‭ (‬Chinle Formation‭) ‬in Arizona,‭ ‬and a critical re-evaluation of Leptosuchus Case,‭ ‬1922.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Palaeontology‭ ‬53‭ (‬5‭)‬:‭ ‬997‭–‬1022.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Michelle R.‭ ‬Stocker‭ ‬-‭ ‬2010.

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