Croc-like Creature Terrorized Triassic Dinosaurs 210 Million Years Ago
Giant, predatory croc-like animals that lived during the Triassic period in southern Africa preyed on early dinosaurs and mammal relatives 210 million years ago. These predators, known as “rauisuchians” preyed on early herbivore dinosaurs and their mammal relatives living at the time, according to Wits Masters student Rick Tolchard.
“These ancient fossils provide us with evidence of how at least two predator species hunted these vegetarian dinosaurs 210 million-years-ago. It is amazing to follow the clues left behind in fossilised teeth, jaws, limbs and other fossils to help us tell the ancient story of life in southern Africa,” says Tolchard.Artist’s reconstruction of two rauisuchians fighting over a desiccated corpse of a mammal-relative in the Triassic of southern Africa. In the background, dinosaurs and mammal-like reptiles form other parts of the ecosystem.
Credit: Viktor Radermacher, owns copyright
Rauisuchians are closely related to crocodiles as we know them today. They had a diversity of body shapes and sizes during the Triassic period. The specimens described in this research include some of the largest carnivorous members of this group, that were possibly up to 10 metres long, with huge skulls full of serrated, curved teeth.
Example of rauisuchian teeth in the Wits collections
Credit: Wits University
“In the Triassic period, rauisuchians were widespread and their fossils are known from all continents except Antarctica,” adds Tolchard. “They went extinct about 200 million years ago, paving the way for dinosaurs to become the dominant large land animals.”
“Rick’s study demonstrates the value of re-examining old specimens, and now we finally know what was preying on all those herbivorous dinosaurs!” says Professor Jonah Choiniere, Rick’s advisor and Professor of Comparative Palaeobiology at the Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute.
Rick Tolchard studying rauisuchians in the Geological Survey in Namibia.
Credit: Helke Mocke
Contacts and sources:
Rick Tolchard
Citation: ‘Rauisuchian’ material from the lower Elliot Formation of South Africa and Lesotho: Implications for Late Triassic biogeography and biostratigraphy
Journal of African Earth Sciences
Volume 160, December 2019, 103610
Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2019/09/croc-like-creature-terrorized-triassic.html
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