Pholidosauridae

Pholidosauridae is an extinct family of aquatic neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in Europe (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden), Africa (Algeria, Niger, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia), North America (Canada and the United States) and South America (Brazil and Uruguay). The pholidosaurids first appeared in the fossil record during the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic. Jouve & Jalil (2020) described postcranial material of a pholidosaurid from the Paleocene (Danian) of Ouled Abdoun Basin (Morocco), representing the most recent record of the family. The authors also reinterpreted putative Maastrichtian dyrosaurid Sabinosuchus as a pholidosaurid, and argued that at least two independent pholidosaurid lineages reached the Maastrichtian, among which one survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.[1] Before the publication of this study it was thought that the family became extinct during the Late Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.[2]

Pholidosauridae Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Late Cretaceous, 167.7–89.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Maastrichtian and Paleocene (Danian) records
Oceanosuchus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Suborder:	†Tethysuchia
Family:	†Pholidosauridae Zittel and Eastman, 1902
Subgroups
†Chalawan †Dakotasuchus?[1] †Elosuchus? †Meridiosaurus †Oceanosuchus †Pholidosaurus †Sabinosuchus?[1] †Sarcosuchus †Terminonaris †Vectisuchus †Woodbinesuchus?[1]

Pholidosaurus purbeckensis fossil.

Sarcosuchus is one of the best known pholidosaurs. It is believed to have attained lengths of up to 9 metres (29 ft 6 in) and weighed up to 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons). One genus, Suchosaurus, once thought to be a pholidosaur,[3] has since been shown to be a spinosaurid theropod dinosaur[4] (incertae sedis within Baryonychinae; possibly a junior synonym of Baryonyx[5]). The Cenomanian Terminonaris was the Pholidosaurid species that appeared to be the most common during the Late Cretaceous.[6]