eedle-thin teeth, more than ten times taller than they are wide: that is what sets apart Ctenosuchus tenuidens, a new genus and species of crocodylomorph described on October 8 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The study, led by a team from the University of Portsmouth with Samir Zouhri of Hassan II University of Casablanca, presents a teleosaurid, a distant long-snouted cousin of crocodiles. It comes from a Middle Jurassic river and lake sequence in the Talsint-Anoual area of Figuig Province.
The authors read in these teeth a specialized diet, most likely of small crustaceans, fish and soft-bodied animals.
Thalattosuchians abound in Laurasia, but their diversity in Gondwana remains poorly known. The Talsint animal, a freshwater dweller, widens the picture.
The two specimens studied were, however, acquired from collectors. Returning to the field, the researchers found traces of unscientific digging and cannot confirm the fossils’ exact provenance with certainty.
Photo: Charaf7, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology - A new teleosauroid (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia) with a unique dentition from the Middle Jurassic of eastern Morocco
