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DYROSAURUS
(die-roe-sore-us)
Dyrosaurus
Named By: Auguste Pomel in 1894
Time Period: Late Cretaceous to Eocene, 90-40 Ma
Location: Across North Africa including, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia
Size: Up to 6 meters long
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil(s): Many individuals
Classification: | Chordata | Reptilia | Crocodylomorpha | Dyrosauridae |
Also known as: | Crocodilus phosphaticus | Dryosaurus phosphaticus |
About

Dyrosaurus is a genus of extinct crocodylomorph that lived from the upper Cretaceous to the Eocene period, surviving the K-Pg extinction event. Dyrosaurus are linked to pholidosaurids as a clade and are defined as slender-snouted, fish-eating specialists adapted to near-shore marine habitats.

The Dyrosauridae are a group of mostly marine, long jawed, crocodile-like quadrupeds up to 6 metres (20 ft) long. Based on bone tissue evidence, it has been hypothesized that they were slow-growing near-shore marine animals with interlocking closed jaws, able to swim as well as walk on land. External nostrils at the posterior end of its snout and an internal naris in its pterygoid indicated a habit of hunting while swimming with the top of the head above the water, enabling it to breathe while stalking prey.

Fossils from this genus have been found in Africa, Europe, North and South America, Southern Asia and India. Although the family Dyrosauridae is quite diverse with many forms of crocodyliforms, the genus Dyrosaurus has only two described species: D. phosphaticus and D. maghribensis. D. phosphaticus was first discovered in Algeria and Tunsinia whereas D. maghribensis has only been found in Morocco. D. maghribensis differs from D. phosphaticus by several synapomorphies, most notably: a smooth dorsal margin of the parietal and widely opened choanae, interfenestral bar wide and strongly T shaped instead of moderately T shaped.

Read more about Dyrosaurus at Wikipedia
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