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Smilosuchus Adamanensis
''Smilosuchus'' (meaning "chisel crocodile") is an extinct genus of leptosuchomorph parasuchid from the Late Triassic of North America. History 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 mystriosuchins than to ''Leptosuchus'' species. Description Like all phytosaurs, ''Smilosuchus'' had the nostrils close to the top of its h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch (geology), epoch of the Triassic geologic time scale, Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between annum, Ma and Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. The corresponding series (stratigraphy), series of rock beds is known as the Upper Triassic. The Late Triassic is divided into the Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian Geologic time scale, Ages. Many of the first dinosaurs evolved during the Late Triassic, including ''Plateosaurus'', ''Coelophysis'', and ''Eoraptor''. The Triassic–Jurassic extinction event began during this epoch and is one of the five major mass extinction events of the Earth. Etymology The Triassic was named in 1834 by Friedrich August von Namoh, Friedrich von Alberti, after a succession of three distinct rock layers (Greek meaning 'triad') that are widespread in southern Germany: the lower Buntsandstein (colourful sandstone'')'', t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rostrum (anatomy)
Rostrum (from Latin ', meaning ''beak'') is a term used in anatomy for a number of phylogenetically unrelated structures in different groups of animals. Invertebrates * In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes. It is generally a rigid structure, but can be connected by a hinged joint, as seen in Leptostraca. * Among insects, the rostrum is the name for the piercing mouthparts of the order Hemiptera as well as those of the snow scorpionflies, among many others. The long snout of weevils is also called a rostrum. * Gastropod molluscs have a rostrum or proboscis. * Cephalopod molluscs have hard beak-like mouthparts referred to as the rostrum. File:Washington DC Zoo - Macrobrachium rosenbergii 6.jpg, Crustacean: the rostrum of the shrimp ''Macrobrachium rosenbergii'' is serrated along both edges. File:Gminatus australis with Beetle.jpg, Insect: assassin bug piercing its prey with its rostrum File:Architeuthis beak.jpg, Cephalopod: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachysuchus Megalodon
''Brachysuchus'' (meaning "wide crocodile") is an extinct genus of phytosaur known from the late Triassic period ( Carnian stage) of Dockum Group in Texas, United States. It is known from the holotype UMMP 10336 is composed of a skull, lower jaws and partial postcranium and from the associated paratype UMMP 14366, nearly complete skull, recovered from the 'Pre-Tecovas Horizon' in the Dockum Group. It was first named by Case in 1929 and the type species is ''Brachysuchus megalodon''. Its closest relative was ''Angistorhinus''. However, its rostral crest was much smaller than that of ''Angistorhinus,'' and the rostrum as a whole is shorter and thicker. Features The lower jaws of ''Brachysuchus'' are expanded at the tip to form a large bulge, holding the creature's largest tusks. The surface of this part of the bone has a wrinkled look, with many blood vessels running through it. In the lower jaw, there are three tusks in each side of this protuberance. Behind this part the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phytosauridae
Parasuchidae is a clade of phytosaurs more derived than ''Diandongosuchus'', a basal phytosaur. It encompasses nearly all phytosaurs, include early ''Parasuchus''-grade forms as well as a more restricted clade of more specialized phytosaurs. This more restricted clade is traditionally known as the family Phytosauridae and more recently as the subfamily Mystriosuchinae. Parasuchids have been recovered from Late Triassic deposits in Europe, North America, India, Morocco, Thailand, Brazil, Greenland and Madagascar. In their osteology of ''Parasuchus'', Kammerer et al. (2016) suggested using Parasuchidae to include taxa traditionally included in Phytosauridae as well as ''Parasuchus''-grade taxa. Stocker et al. (2017) use the phytosaur classification advocated by Kammerer et al. (2016) by recovering ''Diandongosuchus ''Diandongosuchus'' is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile, possibly a member of the Phytosauria, known from the Middle Triassic of China. The type species '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleorhinus Bransoni
''Paleorhinus'' (Greek: ''"Old Nose"'') is an extinct genus of widespread basal phytosaur known from the Late Triassic (late Carnian stage). The genus was named in 1904 based on the type species ''Paleorhinus bransoni'', which is known from Wyoming and Texas in the United States. Another valid species, ''Paleorhinus angustifrons'' from Bavaria, Germany, is also commonly referred to the genus. ''Paleorhinus'' had a length of about . ''Paleorhinus'' has had a complicated taxonomic history involving frequent synonymy between diagnostic and undiagnostic material. This is mainly due to the fact that it is a quintessential basal phytosaur, mostly distinguished by a lack of specializations rather than unique traits. Historically, it was common practice to lump all basal phytosaurs into only one or two genera, rendering those genera paraphyletic evolutionary grades ancestral to later phytosaurs. More recently, these grades have been broken up into multiple genera. ''Arganarhinu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleorhinus
''Paleorhinus'' (Greek: ''"Old Nose"'') is an extinct genus of widespread basal phytosaur known from the Late Triassic (late Carnian stage). The genus was named in 1904 based on the type species ''Paleorhinus bransoni'', which is known from Wyoming and Texas in the United States. Another valid species, ''Paleorhinus angustifrons'' from Bavaria, Germany, is also commonly referred to the genus. ''Paleorhinus'' had a length of about . ''Paleorhinus'' has had a complicated taxonomic history involving frequent synonymy between diagnostic and undiagnostic material. This is mainly due to the fact that it is a quintessential basal phytosaur, mostly distinguished by a lack of specializations rather than unique traits. Historically, it was common practice to lump all basal phytosaurs into only one or two genera, rendering those genera paraphyletic evolutionary grades ancestral to later phytosaurs. More recently, these grades have been broken up into multiple genera. ''Arganarhinus magnoc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phytosauria
Phytosaurs (Φυτόσαυροι in greek) are an extinct group of large, mostly semiaquatic Late Triassic archosauriform reptiles. Phytosaurs belong to the order Phytosauria. Phytosauria and Phytosauridae are often considered to be equivalent groupings containing the same species, but some studies have identified non-phytosaurid phytosaurians. Phytosaurs were long-snouted and heavily armoured, bearing a remarkable resemblance to modern crocodilians in size, appearance, and lifestyle, as an example of convergence or parallel evolution. The name "phytosaur" means "plant reptile", as the first fossils of phytosaurs were mistakenly thought to belong to plant eaters. The name is misleading because the sharp teeth in phytosaur jaws clearly show that they were predators. For many years, phytosaurs were considered to be the most basal group of Pseudosuchia (crocodile-line archosaurs), meaning that they were thought to be more closely related to the crocodilians than to birds (the othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to descendants, nor does it show how much they have changed, so many differing evolutionary trees can be consistent with the same cladogram. A cladogram uses lines that branch off in different directions ending at a clade, a group of organisms with a last common ancestor. There are many shapes of cladograms but they all have lines that branch off from other lines. The lines can be traced back to where they branch off. These branching off points represent a hypothetical ancestor (not an actual entity) which can be inferred to exhibit the traits shared among the terminal taxa above it. This hypothetical ancestor might then provide clues about the order of evolution of various features, adaptation, and other evolutionary narratives about ance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Placerias
''Placerias'' (meaning 'broad body') is an extinct genus of dicynodonts that lived during the Carnian to the Norian age of the Triassic Period (230–220 million years ago). ''Placerias'' belongs to a group of dicynodonts called Kannemeyeriiformes, which was the last known group of dicynodonts before the taxon became extinct at the end of the Triassic. Description ''Placerias'' was one of the largest herbivores in the Late Triassic, with large skull measuring long and weighing up to with a powerful neck, strong legs, and a barrel-shaped body. There are possible ecological and evolutionary parallels with the modern hippopotamus, spending much of its time during the wet season wallowing in the water, chewing at bankside vegetation. Remaining in the water would also have given ''Placerias'' some protection against land-based predators such as ''Postosuchus''. ''Placerias'' used its beak to slice through thick branches and roots with two short tusks that could be used for defence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Squamosal Bone
The squamosal is a skull bone found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds. In fishes, it is also called the pterotic bone. In most tetrapods, the squamosal and quadratojugal bones form the cheek series of the skull. The bone forms an ancestral component of the dermal roof and is typically thin compared to other skull bones. The squamosal bone lies ventral to the temporal series and otic notch, and is bordered anteriorly by the postorbital. Posteriorly, the squamosal articulates with the quadrate and pterygoid bones. The squamosal is bordered anteroventrally by the jugal and ventrally by the quadratojugal. Function in reptiles In reptiles, the quadrate and articular bones of the skull articulate to form the jaw joint. The squamosal bone lies anterior to the quadrate bone. Anatomy in synapsids Non-mammalian synapsids In non-mammalian synapsids, the jaw is composed of four bony elements and referred to as a quadro-articular jaw because the joint is between the articular an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the host) and parasitoidism (which always does, eventually). It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as seed predators and destructive frugivores are predators. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often concealed. When prey is detected, the predator assesses whether to attack it. This may involve ambush or pursuit predation, sometimes after stalking the prey. If the attack is successful, the predator kills the prey, removes any inedible parts like the shell or spines, and eats it. Predators are adapted and often highly specialized for hunting, with acute senses such as vision, hearing, or smell. Many predatory animals, both vertebrate and inv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on the outside by the lips and inside by the pharynx. In tetrapods, it contains the tongue and, except for some like birds, teeth. This cavity is also known as the buccal cavity, from the Latin ''bucca'' ("cheek"). Some animal phyla, including arthropods, molluscs and chordates, have a complete digestive system, with a mouth at one end and an anus at the other. Which end forms first in ontogeny is a criterion used to classify bilaterian animals into protostomes and deuterostomes. Development In the first multicellular animals, there was probably no mouth or gut and food particles were engulfed by the cells on the exterior surface by a process known as endocytosis. The particles became enclosed in vacuoles into which enzymes were secr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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