Phytosaur
Phytosaurs are an extinct group of large semi-aquatic Upper Triassic archosaurs.
Phytosaurs | |
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Skull of Machaeroprosopus mccauleyi | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauriformes |
Clade: | Crurotarsi von Meyer, 1861 |
Order: | †Phytosauria Jaeger, 1828 |
Genera | |
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Synonyms | |
Parasuchia Huxley, 1875 |
Phytosaurs were long-snouted and heavily armoured, bearing a remarkable resemblance to modern crocodiles in size, appearance, and lifestyle.[1] This is an example of convergence or parallel evolution. The name 'phytosaur' means 'plant reptile': the first fossils of phytosaurs were mistakenly thought to belong to plant eaters. The sharp teeth in phytosaur jaws clearly show they were predators.
Although phytosaurs were not true crocodilians themselves, they were more closely related to the crocodilians than to other modern reptiles. Crocodiles did not become phytosaur-like until the Lower Jurassic. "Consensus generally places phytosaurs as basal crurotarsans, possibly the basal-most group".[2]
Phytosaurs had a nearly global distribution. Fossils have been recovered from Europe, North America, India, Morocco, Thailand, Brazil and Madagascar.