''Brochuchus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant ...

known from the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was p ...

Hiwegi Formation of Rusinga Island in

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

; it was originally named as a species of ''

Crocodylus ''Crocodylus'' is a genus of true crocodiles in the family Crocodylidae. Taxonomy The generic name, ''Crocodylus'', was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. ''Crocodylus'' contains 13–14 extant (living) species and 5 extinct speci ...

''. It contains two species, ''B. parvidens'' and ''B. pigotti''. ''Brochuchus'' belongs to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Crocodylidae Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant ...

, which includes all living crocodiles. The closest living relative of ''Brochuchus'' is '' Osteolaemus'', the dwarf crocodile. Compared to ''Osteolaemus'', which has a small body and blunt snout, ''Brochuchus'' has a more generalized crocodylid anatomy. ''Brochuchus'' is characterized by a flat and relatively narrow skull, and although it is larger than ''Osteolaemus'' it is smaller than most other crocodylids. It has two prominent bumps on the surface of its snout. The genus was named in honor of Christopher A. Brochu, for his scientific work on Crocodylia and its relatives. The unusual combination and spelling are intended as an auditory and visual pun such that the ‘ch’ sound in Brochu takes the place of the ‘s’ sound in ‘suchus.’ combined with ‘souchos’ (Greek for crocodile), which is a common suffix for crocodylomorph genera.

Phylogeny

A phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 found that ''Brochuchus'' was a close relative of ''Osteolaemus''. ''Brochuchus'' and ''Osteolaemus'' are part of a clade within

called

Osteolaeminae Osteolaeminae is a subfamily (biology), subfamily of true crocodiles within the family (biology), family Crocodylidae containing the Osteolaemus, dwarf crocodiles and Mecistops, slender-snouted crocodiles, and is the sister taxon to Crocodylinae. ...

. This clade is the

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

Crocodylinae Crocodylinae is a subfamily of true crocodiles within the family Crocodylidae, and is the sister taxon to Osteolaeminae ( dwarf crocodiles and slender-snouted crocodiles). Taxonomy Crocodylinae was cladistically defined by Christopher Brochu ...

which contains the genus ''

'', which includes most living crocodiles.

Paleobiology

''Brochuchus'' has a generalized crocodylid body form with a long, narrow snout and a robust skeleton. Like most other species within Crocodylidae, ''Brochuchus ''was probably predatory and likely spent much of its time in water. As shown by the many mammal fossils that have been found on Rusinga Island, ''Brochuchus ''lived alongside several species of proboscideans (elephant relatives) and

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...

, the most famous of which is the early ape ''

Proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

''. Although there is no direct evidence for what ''Brochuchus ''ate, it may have preyed on ''Proconsul''. If this is the case, ''Brochuchus'' may have been one of the earliest anthropoidophagous ("ape-eating") crocodilians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brochuchus Crocodylidae Miocene crocodylomorphs Miocene reptiles of Africa Fossils of Kenya Fossil taxa described in 2013 Prehistoric pseudosuchian genera