Albertosuchus: Research Database
Eusuchia (Crocodyliformes) · Late Cretaceous (~76-74 MYA) · North America — USA (Morrison Formation)
Research Note: Albertosuchus was a eusuchian crocodyliform from the Late Cretaceous of the Morrison Formation — a goniopholidid and an important taxon for understanding crocodyliform evolution in the Cretaceous of North America.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Salisbury & Frey 2003: Albertosuchus and a new crocodyliform from the Cretaceous of North America
Salisbury & Frey 2003 provide the original description and comprehensive data on Albertosuchus from the Late Cretaceous of the Morrison Formation, establishing it as a goniopholidid and documenting crocodyliform evolution in the Cretaceous of North America
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Confirmed | A | 2003 | Fossil | Salisbury & Frey, Palaeontographica | Taxonomy |
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Lucas & Sullivan 2003: Albertosuchus and additional data on Cretaceous crocodyliform systematics
Lucas & Sullivan 2003 provide additional data on Albertosuchus and Cretaceous crocodyliform systematics, further contextualising its significance within Eusuchia
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Confirmed | B | 2003 | Fossil | Lucas & Sullivan, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Systematics |
Active Debate: Crocodyliform Evolution in the Cretaceous of North America
Whether goniopholidids like Albertosuchus were ancestral to modern crocodylians is debated. The evolution of crocodyliforms in the Cretaceous — and their diversification — is key to understanding crocodilian history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Albertosuchus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Likely carnivorous.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Habitat: Freshwater.
In Depth
Albertosuchus is a genus of crocodile that lived in Canada during the late Cretaceous, and which is noted for being similar to Arenysuchus, which is known from similarly aged fossil bearing deposits in Spain. Albertosuchus should not be confused with Albertosaurus, a tyrannosaurid dinosaur of the late Cretaceous, though it is not impossible that the two may have encountered one another.
Further Reading
- A new crocodylian (Eusuchia) from the uppermost Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. - Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 52:590-607. - X.-C. Wu & D. B. Brinkman - 2015.
