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Genus Prionosuchus
was a genus of large Temnspondyl amphibians from Permian Brazil. Prinosuchus is the largest described species of amphibian ever found, with individuals growing up to 30 ft long! Prinosuchus while an amphibian looks and acts very similar to extant crocodiles like the gharial, as it had a long snout and body and short legs. They presumably had a similar lifestyle as well as they probably were ambush hunters and fed primarily on fish and aquatic animals.
Phylogeny
Animalia-Chordata-Tetrapoda-Amphibia-Temnspondylia-Archegosauridae-Prionosuchus
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Pictures from Tiffany Turrill’s book Dinosaurs Before Bedtime. And I just found out that Tiffany Turrill is on Tumblr!
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“Joggins - Life in the Carboniferous” by Brian Choo
“A representation of the fauna of Canada’s World Heritage Joggins Fossil Cliffs. The temnospondyl Dendrerpeton chases a pair of early reptiles (Hylonomus) up a lycopod tree. The little microsaurian amphibian Asaphestera scuttles into the undergrowth. Behind them, the giant millipede-like arthropod Arthropleura forages unconcerned.”
And I have to add this Arthropleura reconstruction from the Museum of Natural History, Chemnitz:
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Postosuchus illustration by Christian Jegou | And I must add this surprisingly good Postosuchus rubber toy (I look forward for Stella’s critique).
From BBC Nature:
A cousin of modern crocodiles, Postosuchus was an archosaur - the lineage of reptiles that include the crocodiles, dinosaurs and birds. Reaching lengths of five metres, Postosuchus was the top predator during the Late Triassic in what’s now the southern USA. Since its front limbs were shorter than its hind limbs, there is debate as to whether it walked on two legs or four, but most palaeontologists favour the latter. Its stance, with the legs under the body, would have made it a faster and more efficient runner than a modern crocodile. Most Postosuchus fossils have been found in Texas’ Post quarry, hence the name.
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“Tiktaalik roseae is an intermediate between fish that lived in water and animals that evolved to walk on land. Its fin is like that of fish, but it was capable of propping the body of the animal up, much like a limb”.
Full article and video. It’s old news (April 5, 2006) but it’s still interesting.
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“Koolasuchus and Girl” by Dewlap
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Ichthyostega and Acanthostega by Alain Beneteau.
In Late Devonian vertebrate speciation, descendants of pelagiclobe-finned fish – like Eusthenopteron – exhibited a sequence of adaptations:
- Panderichthys, suited to muddy shallows;
- Tiktaalik with limb-like fins that could take it onto land;
- Early tetrapods in weed-filled swamps, such as:
- Acanthostega which had feet with eight digits,
- Ichthyostega with limbs.
Descendants also included pelagic lobe-finned fish such as coelacanthspecies.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Triodus sessilis and Cheliderpeton, by Alain Bénéteau.
