Harpacochampsa
| Harpacochampsa Temporal range: Early Miocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Baru and H. camfieldensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Order: | Crocodilia |
| Family: | Crocodylidae |
| Subfamily: | †Mekosuchinae |
| Genus: | †Harpacochampsa Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991 |
| Type species | |
| †Harpacochampsa camfieldensis Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991 | |
Harpacochampsa is a poorly known Early Miocene crocodilian from the Bullock Creek lagerstatte of the Northern Territory. The current specimen consists of a partial skull and fragments of a slender snout reminiscent of that of a false gharial. It is tentatively placed within Mekosuchinae,[1] though some experts disagree with this, as H. camfieldensis would be the only known mekosuchine with a long, thin snout.[2] Its long snout demonstrates that it was a piscivore in life.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Willis, P. M. A., "Review of Crocodilians of Australasia" (pdf).
- ↑ Brochu, Christopher A, American Zoologist, Jun 2001. "Crocodylian snouts toward adaptive radiation."