Junggarsuchus

Junggarsuchus
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic
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. 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