#metasuchians

[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 12 - Armadillosuchus arrudai

We’ve met the largest and oldest notosuchian, Razanandrongobe, already, but the notosuchians were such a widely diverse clade that it would be hard to pinpoint the average notosuchian. They tried all sorts of things, from apex predators to small pug-like herbivores, with a wide variety of body plans. One such notosuchian was Armadillosuchus arrudai, an oddly armadillo-like pseudosuchian from Late Cretaceous Brazil. It was an omnivore, feeding on arthropods, molluscs, roots, and pines and perhaps also scavenging when able. It had well-developed forelimbs that allowed it to dig and possibly even burrow. It was most recognizable, however, for the rigid shield of hexagonal osteoderms just behind the head, followed by a series of mobile bands similar to those of armadillos. This armour was probably embedded beneath the skin in life, allowing for more flexibility.

Found in the Adamantina Formation, Armadillosuchus lived in a semi-arid environment criss-crossed by freshwater streams. While many think of the Late Cretaceous as the time of the dinosaurs, this particular formation was ruled by a variety of pseudosuchians. Armadillosuchus would have lived alongside Adamantinasuchus, Aphaurosuchus, Brasileosaurus, Caryonosuchus, Roxochampsa, Mariliasuchus, Montealtosuchus, Morrinhosuchus, Sphagesaurus, and may have been hunted by the apex predator Stratiotosuchus. Dinosaurs weren’t completely absent here though, and included the sauropods Arrudatitan, Brasilotitan, Gondwanatitan, and Maxakalisaurus, as well as an indeterminate abelisaurid, unenlagiine, and enantiornithine. Snakes, turtles, amphibians, and small mammals were also present here.

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[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 6 - Razanandrongobe sakalavae

During the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar the apex predator was not a large theropod, but rather the giant notosuchian Razanandrongobe sakalavae. It is not only the oldest known notosuchian, but also the largest, estimated at 7 metres (23 ft) long. However, it is only known from the tip of its snout, so measurements have to be estimated based on related baurusuchians. Its snout was U-shaped, and taller than it was wide, with forward-facing nostrils. Its teeth were large and serrated on both the front and rear edges, similar to Tyrannosaurus but even larger proportionally. Skull anatomy supports that Razanandrongobe’s diet included hard tissues like bones and tendons, and the serrations on its teeth would have allowed it to crunch into bone. Like the Triassic rauisuchids that came millions of years before, it would have been a large, specialized terrestrial predator.

Found in the Sakaraha Formation, Razanandrongobe sakalavae would have lived in a coastal plain environment. Fossil specimens here are poorly known, but include the sauropods Archaeodontosaurus, Lapparentosaurus, and Narindasaurus, indeterminate theropods, the machimosaur Andrianavoay, and the mammal Ambondro mahabo.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!

[saritapaleo]

Archovember 2024 Day 22 - Purussaurus brasiliensis

Long, long after Deinosuchus ruled Late Cretaceous North America, and longer still after Sarcosuchus ruled Early Cretaceous Africa and South America, Purussaurus brasiliensis began its reign. Purussaurus was a giant caiman from Miocene (Early Neogene) South America. Oddly enough, so far only skulls have been found, and its body length has been estimated at anywhere from 7.6–9.2 metres (25–30 ft) to 9.9–15.8 metres (32–52 ft)! However, its skull itself is smaller than Deinosuchus’, so these estimates take into account the longer body length of caimans. Either way, Purussaurus was the largest crocodilian of its time, and would have preyed on large Miocene mammals, using the death roll like modern crocodilians to subdue its prey. Its large size may have eventually been its downfall, as it was harder for it to adapt to a changing environment, while the smaller caimans lived on.

Purussaurus brasiliensis has been found in the the Solimões Formation, the Castilletes Formation, the Culebra Formation, and the Socorro Formation. It would have preyed on a wide variety of Miocene animals across South America, including astrapotheriids like Hilarcotherium, protoceratids like Paratoceras, metatherians like Lycopsis, giant ground sloths, monkeys like Panamacebus and Solimoea, dugongs like Culebratherium, anhingas, and other caimans like Culebrasuchus.

This art may be used for educational purposes, with credit, but please contact me first for permission before using my art. I would like to know where and how it is being used. If you don’t have something to add that was not already addressed in this caption, please do not repost this art. Thank you!