Cynodontosuchus


Cynodontosuchus is an extinct genus of baurusuchid mesoeucrocodylian. Fossils have been found from Argentina of Late Cretaceous age from the Bajo [de la Carpa Formation], the Pichi [Picun Leufu Formation]. the Tiupampan Santa [Lucía Formation] of Bolivia.

Description

Cynodontosuchus was the first non-Cenozoic sebecosuchian to be described, being assigned to the suborder in 1896 by Arthur [Smith Woodward]. It was described on the basis of an incomplete snout and articulated lower jaw. The presence of a large saber-like second maxillary tooth and a diastema between the maxilla and premaxilla that made room for a large mandibular tooth suggests that Cynodontosuchus is a member of the family Baurusuchidae. It has been proposed several times that the genus is a senior synonym of Baurusuchus. However, it differs from Baurusuchus in that its rostrum is less deep and has five maxillary teeth.