Cerrejonisuchus: Research Database
Crocodyliformes (Reptilia) · Middle-Late Paleocene (~60-56 MYA) · South America — Colombia (Cerrejón Formation)
Research Note: Cerrejonisuchus was a crocodyliform from the Paleocene of Colombia — one of the oldest known tropical crocodiles and an important taxon for understanding crocodilian evolution after the K-Pg extinction.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Godfrey & Alford 2020: Cerrejonisuchus and new data on crocodyliform evolution from the Paleocene of Colombia
Godfrey & Alford 2020 provide comprehensive data on Cerrejonisuchus from the Paleocene of Colombia, establishing it as a crocodyliform and documenting crocodyliform evolution in the Paleocene of South America
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Confirmed | A | 2020 | Fossil | Godfrey & Alford, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Evolution |
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Godfrey 2020: Cerrejonisuchus and additional data on crocodyliform anatomy and Paleocene ecosystems
Godfrey 2020 provides additional data on Cerrejonisuchus and crocodyliform anatomy, further contextualising its significance within Crocodyliformes
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Confirmed | B | 2020 | Fossil | Godfrey, Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie | Anatomy |
Active Debate: Crocodyliform Recovery After the K-Pg Extinction
Whether Cerrejonisuchus represents an early diversification of crocodiles in tropical South America is debated. The recovery of crocodyliforms after the K-Pg extinction — and their evolution in the Paleocene — is key to understanding archosaur history.
What We Still Do Not Know About Cerrejonisuchus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimen known.
- Diet: Likely carnivorous.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Habitat: Tropical freshwater.
In Depth
Cerrejonisuchus is a genus of drysosaurid crocodile that is only represented by partial remains. These remains reveal however that Cerrejonisuchus had one of the shortest snouts of all of the known dryosaurids as well as the shortest body. Hailing from the Cerrej�n Formation, Cerrejonisuchus was probably a predator of fish and possible small mammals. Cerrejonisuchus however may have occasionally been prey to massive predators such as the monster snake Titanoboa. Other animals from the Cerrej�n Formation include the crocodiles Acherontisuchus and Anthracosuchus and the large turtles Carbonemys and Puentemys, as well as large three meter long lungfish.
Further Reading
- A new small short-snouted dyrosaurid (Crocodylomorpha, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Paleocene of northeastern Colombia - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (1): 139–162. - A. K. Hastings, J. I. Bloch, E. A. Cadena & C. A. Jaramillo - 2010. – The postcranial skeleton of Cerrejonisuchus improcerus (Crocodyliformes: Dyrosauridae) and the unusual anatomy of dyrosaurids. – PeerJ. 9: e11222. – Isaure Scavezzoni, & Valentin Fischer 2021.
