Стоматозух (Stomatosuchus, от др.-греч. στοματο- +σοῦχος «крокодил с большой пастью») — гигантский крокодиломорф мелового периода. Описан Э. Штромером в 1925 году на основании черепа, обнаруженного в 1912 году в сеномане Египта (Бахария). Единственный образец был уничтожен во время бомбежки Мюнхена в 1944 году. По-видимому, принадлежит к эузухиям, то есть близок к современным крокодилам. Один вид — S. inermis.

 Отличается уникальными анатомическими особенностями. Череп длиной около 2 метров, очень длинный, плоский и широкий (напоминает по форме гладильную доску). Зубные альвеолы есть только в верхней челюсти, многочисленные (до 30 пар) и очень мелкие (1,5 см в диаметре), сами зубы не сохранились. В нижней челюсти зубы могли быть, но альвеолы не найдены (возможно, они были разрушены). Верхние височные окна редуцированы до небольших отверстий, нижние — также некрупные (что указывает на слабую мускулатуру). Глазницы сближены, вынесены наверх. Нижняя челюсть чрезвычайно тонкая, в задней её части развиты высокие направленные вниз гребни. Судя по всему, гребни могли поддерживать горловой мешок, как у пеликана или китов-полосатиков. Посткраниальный скелет не известен, Штромер указывал на редукцию панциря (несмотря на это, стоматозуха обычно изображают покрытым обычными для крокодилов остеодермами). Учитывая длину черепа, общая длина могла быть до 10 метров и более, хотя голова, вероятно, была весьма крупной по отношению к телу.

 Образ жизни стоматозуха малопонятен. Не исключено, что он питался мелкими водными животными (или даже водорослями), которых фильтровал сквозь мелкие зубы. Сходная пищевая специализация возникла в миоцене у кайманов-неттозухов (Mourasuchus), обладавших похожим строением черепа.

 Стоматозух населял мангровые болота Северной Африки в одно время со спинозаврами и кархародонтозаврами. Эти крупные тероподы, возможно, могли нападать на стоматозухов, лишенных мощного панциря и потому весьма уязвимых.

 В 2009 году П. Серено описал нижние челюсти двух видов крокодила Laganosuchus из сеномана Нигера и Марокко. Эти крокодиломорфы (длина нижней челюсти 87 см) — ближайшие известные родичи стоматозуха. В отличие от стоматозуха, более мелкий лаганозух обладал нижнечелюстными зубами. Серено предположил, что такие крокодилы охотились на мелкую водную добычу из засады.

 Stomatosuchus inermis ("Weaponless mouth crocodile") was an enormous 10 metre long stomatosuchid neosuchian from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Egypt. Unlike most other crocodyliforms, it is difficult to determine exactly what S. inermis ate. Its flattened skull had a long, flat, lid-like snout, which was lined with small, conical teeth. The mandible may have been toothless and may have supported a pelican-like throat pouch.

 Unfortunately the only known specimen, a large skull, which was collected in German paleontologist Ernst Stromer's Egyptian expedition, was obliterated when the Munich Museum was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in 1944.

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Tags: Вымершие рептилии, Мел, архозавроморфы, архозавры, диапсиды, крокодиломорфы, круротарзы, мезоэукрокодилии, неозухии, равизухии, стоматозухиды

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 Bernissartia ('of Bernissart') is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform that lived in the Early Cretaceous, around 130 million years ago.

 At only 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) in length, Bernissartia is one of the smallest crocodyliforms that ever lived. It resembled modern species in many respects, and was probably semi-aquatic. It had long, pointed teeth at the front of the jaws that would have been of use in catching fish, but broad and flat teeth at the back of its jaws that were suited for crushing hard food, such as shellfish, and possibly bones.

 It is known primarily from skulls and skeletons found in modern day Belgium and Spain. Less complete material has been referred to Bernissartia from the United Kingdom and North America.

 Берниссартия жила в начале мелового периода. Получила название благодоря городку Берниссар, близ которого впервые была найдена. Этот городок знаменит также находкой 29 полных скелетов игуанодонов. Берниссартия внешне походила на современных крокодилов. Берниссартия питалась рыбами, водившимися в раннемеловых водоёмах, такими как Lepidotes, а также моллюсками. Берниссартия во многом походила на современных крокодилов. У берниссартии было два вида зубов: на передних краях челюстей располагались заострённые зубы, которыми было удобно хватать и удерживать добычу, а в глубине пасти находились плоские зубы, служившие для раздавливания раковин и панцирей.

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Tags: Вымершие рептилии, Мел, архозавроморфы, архозавры, диапсиды, крокодиломорфы, круротарзы, мезоэукрокодилии, неозухии, равизухии

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 Susisuchus is an extinct genus of neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodyliform from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil. Fossils have been found from the Nova Olinda Member of the Aptian-age Crato Formation in the Araripe and Lima Campos Basins of northeastern Brazil. Named in 2003, Susisuchus is the sole member of the family Susisuchidae, and is closely related to the clade Eusuchia, which includes living crocodilians. The type species is S. anatoceps, known from a single partial articulated skeleton that preserves some soft tissue. A second species, S. jaguaribensis, was named in 2009 from fragmentary remains.

 The genus Susisuchus was first erected with the description of the type species S. anatoceps in 2003. S. anatoceps was found in the Aptian-age Crato Formation in the Araripe Basin, and was the first crocodyliform to be described from the formation. The holotype skeleton is the most complete known specimen of Susisuchus, including most of the bones except for those of the hindlimbs, and even traces of soft tissue. The specimen is thought to have been a desiccated carcass before it was buried and later fossilized. A second species, S. jaguaribensis, was named in 2009 from the Lima Campos Basin about 115 kilometres (71 mi) from where the skeleton of S. anatoceps was uncovered.

 A new crocodyliform specimen from the Crato Formation was described in 2009. It can be distinguished from the two other crocodyliforms known from the formation, Araripesuchus and the trematochampsid Caririsuchus, on the basis of characteristics of the fibula and proportions of the femur and tibia. Since the limb elements differ from all other known crocodyliforms from the Araripe Basin, the specimen was tentatively classified as cf. Susisuchus sp.

 The holotype specimen of Susisuchus anatoceps includes a skull and lower jaw, forelimbs, parts of the axial skeleton, and some osteoderms. There are traces of soft tissue around both forelimbs and the digits of the right hand. S. jaguaribensis is known from far less material, but the fragmentary remains are enough to diagnose the species. Both species have a contact between the squamosal and parietal bones that is situated on the posterior border of the supratemporal fenestra, a hole in the skull table.

 Susisuchus has a dorsal shield of osteoderms that is similar to those of the more derived clade Eusuchia, which includes living crocodilians. Susisuchus was one of the first mesoeucrocodylians to have a tetraserial paravertebral shield, which is formed from the dorsal osteoderms to make the back more rigid. In a tetraserial paravertebral shield, there are four separate rows of paravertebral osteoderms (osteoderms near the midline of the back). Earlier mesoeucrocodylians such as Bernissartia have biserial paravertebral shields, in which there are only two rows of paravertebral osteoderms. These two rows of large osteoderms became segmented into four smaller rows in Susisuchus. Susisuchus also has two rows of accessory osteoderms to either side of the paravertebral osteoderms which are not part of the shield.

 The segmentation of the paravertebral shield allowed for a greater degree of lateral flexibility in the trunk of Susisuchus. This flexibility would have enabled lateral undulation while swimming, resulting in greater efficiency in locomotion. Because the width of the paravertebral shield was not compromised by this segmentation, the back would remain rigid enough to overcome the forces encountered during high-walking, or walking semi-erect. However, the ability to high-walk would have restricted the size of Susisuchus. If Susisuchus grew any larger than 50 kilograms (110 lb), the forces encountered during high-walking would have been too great for the paravertebral shield to counteract.

 Susisuchus is closely related to Pachycheilosuchus from Glen Rose, Texas, United States, and Isisfordia from Winton, Queensland, Australia. All three genera are highly derived Early Cretaceous mesoeucrocodylians. In the initial description of Susisuchidae, Isisfordia was considered a possible member of the family, although the genus had not yet been named. However, with its naming in 2006, Isisfordia was placed within Eusuchia as the most basal member of the clade, while Susisuchus was placed outside Eusuchia as its sister taxon.

 Susisuchus has amphicoelus thoracic, lumbar and caudal (tail) vertebrae, meaning that the ends of the centra of these vertebrae are concave. The presence of this feature in a crocodyliform with a tetraserial paravertebral shield is unusual, and has been used to erect the family Susisuchidae, of which Susisuchus is the only member. Susisuchus can be considered a transitional form because it has a tetraserial paravertebral shield characteristic of eusuchians, but retains more primitive amphicoelus vertebrae characteristic of more basal crocodylomorphs.

 With the description of S. jaguaribensis as a second species of Susisuchus, the genus has been phylogenetically redefined as a node-based taxon including the last common ancestor of Susisuchus anatoceps and Susisuchus jaguaribensis and all of its descendants.

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Tags: Вымершие рептилии, Мел, архозавроморфы, архозавры, диапсиды, крокодиломорфы, круротарзы, мезоэукрокодилии, неозухии, равизухии

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 Isisfordia (named after the discoverer; former Deputy Mayor of Isisford, Ian Duncan) (holotype QM F36211) is an extinct genus of crocodyliform closely related to crocodilians that lived during the Middle Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian). Its fossils were discovered in the Winton Formation in Isisford, Queensland, Australia in the mid-1990s. Most of the animal was discovered, with the exception of the front portion of the skull. On a later expedition to the location, paleontologists discovered a complete skull which differed from the original specimen in size only.

 The estimate of the length of Isisfordia is about 1.1 m (3.6 feet).

 The discovery of the fossilized remains led paleontologists to suggest that the group including modern crocodilians first evolved 30 million years earlier than previously thought, during the Cretaceous period on the supercontinent Gondwana. Analysis of the remains concluded that the vertebrae fit together as they do in modern crocodilians, via loose ball-and-socket joints, as well as a secondary palate similar to that in living crocodilians which allows them to let air pass into the lungs without entering the inside of the mouth.

 Eusuchia — клада рептилий, существующая с начала мелового периода (Hylaeochampsa). Все современные крокодилы, а также часть вымерших, входят в кладу Eusuchia.

 В отличие от примитивных крокодиломорфов, Crocodyliformes имеют вторичное костное нёбо. Это даёт им возможность дышать через нос. У Eusuchia вторичное костное нёбо наиболее развитое.

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Tags: Вымершие рептилии, Мел, архозавроморфы, архозавры, диапсиды, крокодиломорфы, круротарзы, мезоэукрокодилии, неозухии, равизухии, эузухии

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