Zosuchus

Zosuchus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Crocodylomorpha
Clade: Mesoeucrocodylia
Genus: Zosuchus
Pol and Norell, 2004
Species
  • S. davidsoni Pol and Norell, 2004 (type)

Zosuchus ("Zos [Canyon] crocodile") is a genus of basal, Late Cretaceous crocodyliform from the Redbeds of Zos Canyon (Djadokhta Formation) in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It was discovered by expeditions organized by the American Museum of Natural History, and described by palaeontologists Diego Pol and Mark Norell.

The type species is Z. davidsoni, after Amy Davidson.

Material

Material of Z. davidsoni consists of five specimens:

Systematics

Pol & Norell (2004) found Zosuchus davidsoni to be the sister taxon of the clade (Sichuanosuchus + Shantungosuchus). These three form a basal clade of crocodyliforms joined together by the presence of a ventrally deflected posterior region of the mandibular rami.

Morphology

This genus had a very short snout.

References