| Pholidosauridae Fossil range: 164.7–99.6 Ma Middle Jurassic - Early Cretaceous | |
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 Sarcosuchus | |
| Scientific classification
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Pholidosauridae | |
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Pholidosauridae is an extinct family of mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in the United States, Canada, China, Kyrgyzstan, Africa (Niger, Mali, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) and Spain. The pholidosaurs are thought to have evolved during the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic and went extinct during the early Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous.
Sarcosuchus, informally known as "SuperCroc" is one of the best known pholidosaurs. It is believed to have attained lengths of up to 12 meters and weighed up to 8 tonnes. One genus, Suchosaurus, once thought to be a pholidosaur,[1] has since been shown to be a spinosaurid theropod dinosaur.[2]
References[]
- ^ Carroll, R.L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. WH Freeman and Company, New York ISBN 0-716-71822-7
- ^ Buffetaut, E. (2007). "The spinosaurid dinosaur Baryonyx (Saurischia, Theropoda) in the Early Cretaceous of Portugal." Geological Magazine, 144(6): 1021-1025.
External links[]
- Pholidosauridae at the Paleobiology Database
- Mikko's Phylogeny Archive on Pholidosauridae
| Major groups within Mesoeucrocodylia |
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| Thalattosuchia — Metriorhynchidae • Teleosauridae
Notosuchia — Baurusuchidae • Chimaerasuchidae • Notosuchidae • Sphagesauridae • Libycosuchus • Araripesuchus Sebecia — Peirosauridae • Sebecidae • Mahajangasuchus Neosuchia — Atoposauridae • Dyrosauridae • Goniopholididae • Paralligatoridae • Pholidosauridae Related articles — Mesosuchia • Crocodilia Related categories — Marine crocodiles • Terrestrial crocodiles • Jurassic crocodylomorphs • Cretaceous crocodylomorphs • Paleogene crocodylomorphs |