Junggarsuchus
| Junggarsuchus Temporal range: Middle Jurassic | |
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| Life restoration of Junggarsuchus sloani | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Informal group: | Sphenosuchia |
| Family: | Sphenosuchidae |
| Genus: | †Junggarsuchus Clark et al., 2004 |
| Type species | |
| †Junggarsuchus sloani Clark et al., 2004 | |
Junggarsuchus is an extinct genus of sphenosuchian crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic of China. The type species is J. sloani.[1]
Description
Although the skull of Junggarsuchus shares many characteristics with those of modern crocodilians, it is morphologically intermediate between sphenosuchians and mesoeucrocodylians. As in other sphenosuchians, the limbs of Junggarsuchus were adapted to terrestrial locomotion (movement on land), rather than semi-aquatic locomotion seen in living crocodilians. These adaptations include: a vertically orientated upper arm bone, ball-and-socket shoulder joint, and a functionally tridactyl (three-fingered) hand.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clark, James M.; Xing Xu; Forster, Catherine A.; and Yuan Wang (2004). "A Middle Jurassic 'sphenosuchian' from China and the origin of the crocodylian skull". Nature 430 (7003): 1021–1024. doi:10.1038/nature02802. PMID 15329719.
External links
- In Crocodile Evolution, the Bite Came Before the Body (article at National Geographic)
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