Barinasuchus

Barinasuchus (meaning "Barinas crocodile," in reference to where the type material was found) is an extinct genus of sebecid mesoeucrocodylian. Its fossils have been found in middle Eocene-age rocks of the Divisadero Largo Formation of Argentina, middle Miocene-age rocks of the Ipururo Formation of Peru, and middle Miocene-age rocks of the Parángula Formation of Venezuela.[1]

Barinasuchus
Temporal range: Mid Eocene-Mid Miocene (Divisaderan-Laventan)
~37.2–11.8 Ma
Holotype fossil of Barinasuchus arveloi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: †Sebecosuchia
Clade: †Sebecia
Family: †Sebecidae
Genus: †Barinasuchus
Paolillo and Linares, 2007
Type species
†B. arveloi
Paolillo and Linares, 2007

Description

The holotype comes from Parángula Formation rocks in Barinas and consists of an incomplete articulated skull and lower jaw. Like all other sebecosuchians, it was a terrestrial carnivore with ziphodont teeth, like a theropod dinosaur. This made it a formidable predator.

Barinasuchus is the largest sebecosuchian (preserved part of the type specimen skull is 700 millimetres (28 in) long), and is the first sebecosuchian known from Venezuela. Fossils from Peru previously identified as Sebecus cf. huilensis have been assigned to the type species, B. arveloi.

Barinasuchus was described in 2007 by Alfredo Paolillo and Omar Linares.[2]

References
  1. Barinasuchus at Fossilworks.org
  2. Paolillo, Alfredo; Linares, Omar J. (2007). "Nuevos cocodrilos Sebecosuchia del Cenozoico Suramericano (Mesosuchia: Crocodylia)" (PDF). Paleobiologia Neotropical (in Spanish). 3: 1–25. Retrieved 2009-02-15.


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