Gracilisuchus: Research Database
Crocodylomorpha · Triassic · South America
Research Note: Gracilisuchus was a small crocodylomorph from the Triassic of South America, providing important data on early crocodylomorph evolution.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nesbitt & Irmis 2012: Gracilisuchus and early crocodylomorph diversity Anales de Paleontología | Confirmed | A | 2012 | Fossil | Nesbitt & Irmis, Anales de Paleontología | Diversity |
Knoll & Rohrberg 2012: New data on Gracilisuchus and Triassic crocodylomorphs Swiss Journal of Geosciences | Confirmed | B | 2012 | Fossil | Knoll & Rohrberg, Swiss Journal of Geosciences | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Gracilisuchus
- Complete skeletal morphology.
- Phylogenetic relationships within Crocodylomorpha.
- Ecological role in Triassic ecosystems.
In Depth
Gracilisuchus is a very Ancient, and very small relative of the crocodiles that we know today. Gracilisuchus however seems to have been mostly terrestrial walking about on four legs, but also having the ability to rear up and walk on just the two rear legs. The small size and gracile (hence the name) build of Gracilisuchus meant that it would have been limited to hunting only small vertebrates, and possibly larger invertebrates.
Further Reading
- The Cha�ares (Argentina) Triassic reptile fauna. An early ornithosuchid pseudosuchian, Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum, gen. et sp. nov. - Breviora 389:1-24. - Alfred S. Romer - 1972. - Hind limb osteology of Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia). - Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 102 (2): 105–128 - A. Lecuona & J. B. Desojo - 1972. – Hind limb osteology of Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia)”. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 102 (2): 105–128. – A. Lecuona & J. B. Desojo – 2012. – New information on the postcranial skeleton of Gracilisuchus stipanicicorum (Archosauria: Suchia) and reappraisal of its phylogenetic position. – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (3): 638–677. – A. Lecuona, J. B. Desojo & D. Pol – 2017.
