Nicrosaurus
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| Nicrosaurus Temporal range: Late Triassic | |
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| Skull of Nicrosaurus kapffi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Phytosauria |
| Family: | Phytosauridae |
| Node: | †Leptosuchomorpha |
| Subfamily: | †Pseudopalatinae |
| Genus: | †Nicrosaurus Fraas, 1866 |
| Species | |
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Nicrosaurus is an extinct genus of phytosaur reptile. It was of medium size, probably about 2.5 m (8.2 ft).[1] Although it looked and probably lived like a crocodile, it was not closely related to these creatures, instead being a good example of parallel evolution. The main difference between Nicrosaurus (and all other phytosaurs) and real crocodiles was the position of the nostrils - Nicrosaurus's nostrils were placed directly in front of the forehead, whereas in crocodiles, the nostrils are positioned on the end of the snout.
Nicrosaurus skull, from Zittel, 1913
1894 restoration of Belodon, based on the skull of Nicrosaurus and the carapace of Paratypothorax
A recent phylogenetic analysis found that the genera Pseudopalatus, Mystriosuchus, Redondasaurus and Nicrosaurus were pseudopalatines.[2]
References
- ↑ http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/n/nicrosaurus.html
- ↑ Hungerbühler A. 2002. The Late Triassic phytosaur Mystriosuchus westphali, with a revision of the genus. Palaeontology 45 (2): 377-418
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