Simosuchus clarki

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Simosuchus
Fossil range: Early Cretaceous
Simosuchus clarki
Simosuchus clarki
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Infraclass: Archosauromorpha
Superorder: Crocodylomorpha
(unranked) Mesoeucrocodylia
Family: Chimaerasuchidae?
Genus: Simosuchus
Species: S. clarki

Simosuchus clarki ("Clark's Pug-nosed Crocodile") was a small crocodylomorph from the Early Cretaceous of Madagascar. It is named so for its unusually short skull. Fully grown individuals would have been about 1 meter in length.

S. clarki's teeth were shaped like cloves, or maple leaves, and, coupled with the proposterously short snout, were unsuitable for shearing or rending flesh. In fact, these features lead paleontologists to suspect that it was a (largely) terrestrial herbivore.


[edit] External Links

  • Mikko's Phylogenic Archives [1]
  • Digimorph Entry [2]