Andrianavoay

An-dre-an-vo-ay.
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

Andrianavoay ‭(‬noble crocodile‭)‬.

Phonetic

An-dre-an-vo-ay.

Named By

Michela M.‭ ‬Johnson​,‭ ‬Mark T.‭ ‬Young‭ & ‬Stephen L.‭ ‬Brusatte‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Thalattosuchia,‭ ‬Machimosauridae,‭ ‬Machimosaurinae.

Diet

Piscivore/carnivore‭?

Species

A.‭ ‬baroni‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil remains.

Known locations

Madagascar‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kandreho Formation.

Time Period

Bathonian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skull and osteoderm.

In Depth

       Originally named as a species of Steneosaurus,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬baroni was found to represent a distinct genus in a university thesis written by Michela M.‭ ‬Johnson in‭ ‬2019.‭ ‬The following year a new genus description was published for S.‭ ‬baroni,‭ ‬and thus the Andrianavoay genus was established.‭ ‬Andrianavoay was a thalattosuchian,‭ ‬but a more common term for such a creature is a sea crocodile.‭ ‬Andrianavoay would have spent much of its life swimming and hunting in the Jurassic oceans,‭ ‬probably hunting for other aquatic creatures.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On the discovery of a secondary reptile in Madagascar:‭ ‬Steneosaurus baroni‭; (‬n sp.‭)‬.‭ ‬with a reference to some post-Tertiary vertebrate remains from the same country recently acquired by the British Museum‭ (‬Natural History‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Geological Magazine‭ ‬10:‭ ‬193-198.‭ ‬-‭ R. Newton – 1893. -‭ ‬The taxonomy,‭ ‬systematics and ecomorphological diversity of Teleosauroidea‭ (‬Crocodylomorpha,‭ ‬Thalattosuchia‭)‬,‭ ‬and the evaluation of the genus‭ ‘‬Steneosaurus‭’‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Archives of the University of Edinburgh‭ ‬-‭ ‬Michela M.‭ ‬Johnson​‭ ‬-‭ ‬2019. -‭ ‬The phylogenetics of Teleosauroidea‭ (‬Crocodylomorpha,‭ ‬Thalattosuchia‭) ‬and implications for their ecology and evolution.‭ ‬-‭ ‬PeerJ‭ ‬-‭ ‬Michela M.‭ ‬Johnson​,‭ ‬Mark T.‭ ‬Young‭ & ‬Stephen L.‭ ‬Brusatte‭ ‬-‭ ‬2020.

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