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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
The evolution of mammal-like crocodyliforms in the Cretaceous Period of Gondwana
Nature, Volume 466, No. 7307, Year 2010
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Description
Fossil crocodyliforms discovered in recent years1-5 have revealed a level of morphological and ecological diversity not exhibited by extant members of the group. This diversity is particularly notable among taxa of the Cretaceous Period (144-65 million years ago) recovered from former Gondwanan landmasses. Here we report the discovery of a new species of Cretaceous notosuchian crocodyliform from the Rukwa Rift Basin6 of southwestern Tanzania. This small-bodied form deviates significantly from more typical crocodyliform craniodental morphologies, having a short, broad skull, robust lower jaw, and a dentition with relatively few teeth that nonetheless show marked heterodonty. The presence of morphologically complex, complementary upper and lower molariform teeth suggests a degree of crown-crown contact during jaw adduction that is unmatched among known crocodyliforms, paralleling the level of occlusal complexity seen in mammals and their extinct relatives 7-12. The presence of another small-bodied mammal-like crocodyliform in the Cretaceous of Gondwana indicates that notosuchians probably filled niches and inhabited ecomorphospace that were otherwise occupied by mammals on northern continents. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
O'Connor, Patrick Michael
United States, Athens
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
United States, Athens
Ohio University
Sertich, Joseph J.W.
United States, Stony Brook
Stony Brook University
Stevens, Nancy Jeanne
United States, Athens
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
United States, Athens
Ohio University
Roberts, Eric M.
United States, Cedar City
Southern Utah University
Australia, Townsville
James Cook University
Gottfried, Michael D.
United States, East Lansing
Michigan State University
Hieronymus, Tobin Lee
United States, Rootstown
Northeast Ohio Medical University Neomed
Jinnah, Z.
South Africa, Johannesburg
University of the Witwatersrand
Ridgely, Ryan
United States, Athens
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Ngasala, Sifa E.
United States, East Lansing
Michigan State University
Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
University of Dar es Salaam
Temba, Jesuit
Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
Tanzania Antiquities Unit
Statistics
Citations: 124
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 10
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/nature09061
ISSN:
00280836
e-ISSN:
14764687
Study Locations
Tanzania