Desmatosuchus

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Desmatosuchus
Fossil range: Late Triassic

Desmatosuchus from the Late Triassic of Texas

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Aetosauria
Family:	Stagonolepidae
Genus:	Desmatosuchus Case, 1920

Species

Desmatosuchus spurensis (type)
Desmatosuchus smalli

Desmatosuchus (meaning "link crocodile") is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the Order Aetosauria. It was one of the largest aetosaurs, being 5 m (17 ft) long and about 1.50 m (5 ft) high. It lived during the Late Triassic in Texas.

Desmatosuchus looked like its relatives, possessing an armored body and pig-like head. It used its shovel-shaped snout to uproot plants. Unlike most other aetosaurs, Desmatosuchus had two rows of spikes at the sides of its back, with the longest (45 cm) above the shoulders. These gave it extra protection against predators by showing off its spikes to scare off predators.

Two species are currently accepted: D. spurensis and D. smalli (Parker, 2008). Desmatosuchus chamaensis is recognized as a distinct genus (e.g. Parker, 2007), but there is some dispute about whether the name Heliocanthus or Rioarribasuchus applies.[1]

[edit] References

Parker, W.G. (2005). A new species of the Late Triassic aetosaur Desmatosuchus (Archosauria:Pseudosuchia). Compte Rendus Palevol 4(4): 327-340.

Parker, W.G. (2007). Reassessment of the aetosaur “Desmatosuchus” chamaensis with a reanalysis of the phylogeny of the Aetosauria (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 5(1): 41-68.

Parker, W.G. (2008). Description of new material of the aetosaur Desmatosuchus spurensis (Archosauria: Suchia) from the Chinle Formation of Arizona and a revision of the genus Desmatosuchus. PaleoBios 28(1): 1-40.