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SMILOSUCHUS
(smie-loe-soo-kus)
meaning: "Knife crocodile"
Smilosuchus
Named By: R. A. Long and P. A. Murray in 1995
Time Period: Late Triassic
Location: USA, Arizona
Size: S. gregorii about 6.7 meters long, S. adamensis about 5 meters long
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil(s): Several specimens
Classification: | Chordata | Reptilia | Archosauria | Phytosauria | Phytosauridae |
Also known as: | Leptosuchus gregorii |
About

Smilosuchus (meaning "chisel crocodile") is an extinct genus of leptosuchomorph phytosaurid from the Late Triassic of North America. The type species was first described in 1995 as a replacement generic name for Leptosuchus gregorii. Because of the large rostral crest it possessed, it was considered to be distinct enough from other species of Leptosuchus (all of which had smaller and more restricted crests) to be within its own genus. Some studies seem to suggest that Smilosuchus is congeneric with Leptosuchus, as the enlarged crest could have been independently developed in Leptosuchus. However, newer studies support the idea that Smilosuchus is distinct from the type species of Leptosuchus, Leptosuchus crosbiensis. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that Smilosuchus is more closely related to pseudopalatines than to Leptosuchus species.

Read more about Smilosuchus at Wikipedia
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