Champsosaurus (Diapsida: Choristodera) from the Paleocene of West Texas: Paleoclimatic Implications

A specimen of the aquatic reptile Champsosaurus sp. from the Paleocene Black Peaks Formation in southwestern Texas is the southernmost yet known. The fragmentary specimen exhibits some unusual features, such as a great anterior extent of the quadratojugal on the lower temporal arch, and cannot be at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of paleontology 2010-03, Vol.84 (2), p.341-345
Main Authors: Lehman, Thomas M, Barnes, Ken
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic reptiles
biogeography
Black Peaks Formation
Brewster County Texas
Cenozoic
Champsosauridae
Champsosaurus
Chordata
Choristodera
Diapsida
Dinosaurs
Endangered & extinct species
Fauna
Fossils
Geology
lower Paleocene
Mandible
morphology
Museum exhibits
Museums
Paleocene
Paleoclimatology
Paleoecology
Paleogene
Paleolatitude
PALEONTOLOGICAL NOTES
Paleontology
Reptiles
Reptilia
skeletons
Teeth
Temperature gradients
Terlingua Ranch
Tertiary
Tetrapoda
Texas
United States
Vertebrata
vertebrate
Vertebrates
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Description
Summary:A specimen of the aquatic reptile Champsosaurus sp. from the Paleocene Black Peaks Formation in southwestern Texas is the southernmost yet known. The fragmentary specimen exhibits some unusual features, such as a great anterior extent of the quadratojugal on the lower temporal arch, and cannot be attributed with confidence to any of the named species. Champsosaurus appears to have been tolerant of temperate climates and had a northern latitudinal range exceeding that of crocodylians. It seems likely that the brief southward extension in range of Champsosaurus during early Paleocene time resulted from a decrease in mean annual temperature, comparable to over 10° of paleolatitude.
ISSN:0022-3360
1937-2337
DOI:10.1666/09-111R.1