Narynsuchus
Narynsuchus is an extinct genus of giant Goniopholidid Crocodylian. Because it has not yet been formally described, it is currently considered a nomen nudum. The name was first used in 1990 for fossil material found from a formation called the Balabansai Svita, which forms a lens in site FTA-30 of the Sarykamyshsai 1 locality in the Fergana Valley of Kyrgyzstan.[1] The formation dates back to the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic.[2] The type species of "Narynsuchus" is "N. ferganensis".Being semi-aquatic it is very similar to modern crocodiles. It ranged from 7–8 metres in length, and would have had a very similar lifestyle to the American alligator or Nile crocodile.
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Genus: | † Narynsuchus Averianov et al., 1990 |
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Material belonging to "Narynsuchus" consists of large and characteristically striated teeth as well as a robust left tibia.[3] "Narynsuchus" is thought to have been larger than Sunosuchus, another crocodyliform from Sarykamyshsai 1, due to the greater size of the known elements belonging to the genus.[2] This material was first recognized as belonging to a new crocodyliform in 1989, when it was referred to as an indeterminant species of Peipehsuchus.[3]
References
- Nessov, L. A. (1990). "Late Jurassic labyrinthodont (Amphibia, Labyrinthodontia) among other relict vertebrate groups in northern Fergana". Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal. 3: 82–90.
- Averianov, A. O. (2000). "Sunosuchus sp. (Crocodylomorpha, Goniopholididae) from the Middle Jurassic of Kirghisia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20 (4): 776–779. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0776:SSCGFT]2.0.CO;2.
- Nessov, L. A.; Kaznyshkina, L. F.; Cherepanov, G. O. (1989). "Mesozoic dinosaurians-ceratopses and crocodiles of Central Asia". In Bogdanova, T. N.; Khozatsky, L. I. (eds.). Theoretical and Applied Aspects of Modern Paleontology. Leningrad: Nauka. pp. 144–154.