Junggarsuchus

Junggarsuchus

Junggarsuchus Fossil range: Middle Jurassic
Life restoration of Junggarsuchus sloani
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Subclass:	Diapsida
(Unranked) :	Archosauria
Superorder:	Crocodylomorpha
Suborder:	Sphenosuchia
Genus:	Junggarsuchus Clark et al., 2004
Species:	J. sloani Clark et al., 2004 (type)

Junggarsuchus is an extinct genus of sphenosuchian crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic of China. The type species is J. sloani.^[1]

Anatomy[]

Although the skull of Junggarsuchus shares many characteristics with those of modern crocodilians, it is morphologically intermediate between sphenosuchians and mesoeucrocodylians. As in other sphenosuchians, the limbs of Junggarsuchus were adapted to terrestrial locomotion(basically movement on land), rather than semi-aquatic locomotion seen in living crocodilians. These adaptations include: a vertically orientated upper arm bone, ball-and-socket shoulder joint, and a functionally tridactyl (three-fingered) hand.^[1]

References[]

^ ^a ^b Clark, James M.; Xing Xu; Forster, Catherine A.; and Yuan Wang (2004). "A Middle Jurassic 'sphenosuchian' from China and the origin of the crocodylian skull". Nature 430: 1021–1024. doi:10.1038/nature02802.

External links[]

In Crocodile Evolution, the Bite Came Before the Body (article at National Geographic)

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[JMCetal04-1] Clark, James M.; Xing Xu; Forster, Catherine A.; and Yuan Wang (2004). "A Middle Jurassic 'sphenosuchian' from China and the origin of the crocodylian skull". Nature 430: 1021–1024. doi:10.1038/nature02802.

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