Unusual Marine Crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous Boundary of Patagonia

Remains of the marine crocodyliform Dakosaurus andiniensis from western South America reveal a lineage that drastically deviated from the skull morphology that characterizes marine crocodyliforms. The snout and lower jaw are extremely robust, short, and high and only bear a few large teeth with serr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2006-01, Vol.311 (5757), p.70-73
Main Authors: Gasparini, Zulma, Pol, Diego, Spalletti, Luis A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alligators and Crocodiles - anatomy & histology
Alligators and Crocodiles - classification
Alligators and Crocodiles - physiology
Animal morphology
Animal teeth
Animals
Argentina
Bears
Biodiversity
Biological Evolution
Dakosaurus
Dakosaurus andiniensis
Datasets
Dentition
Fossils
Head
Jaw
Mandible - anatomy & histology
Marine
Marine Biology
Maxilla
Maxilla - anatomy & histology
Mollusca
Paleodontology
Paleontology
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Predatory Behavior
Reptiles & amphibians
Reptiles - anatomy & histology
Reptiles - classification
Reptiles - physiology
Skull
Skull - anatomy & histology
Taxa
Tooth - anatomy & histology
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Summary:Remains of the marine crocodyliform Dakosaurus andiniensis from western South America reveal a lineage that drastically deviated from the skull morphology that characterizes marine crocodyliforms. The snout and lower jaw are extremely robust, short, and high and only bear a few large teeth with serrated edges (resembling those of some terrestrial carnivorous archosaurs). This unusual morphology contrasts with the long and gracile snout and lower jaws bearing numerous teeth, which are present in the closest relatives of D. andiniensis (and interpreted as indicating feeding on small fish or mollusks). Thus, the morphological diversity of pelagic marine crocodyliforms was wider than had been thought.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1120803