Nicrosaurus

Nicrosaurus
Temporal range: Late Triassic, 228–201.6 Ma
Skull of N. kapffi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Phytosauria
Family: Parasuchidae
Tribe: Mystriosuchini
Genus: Nicrosaurus
Fraas, 1866
Species
  • N. kapffi (Meyer, 1861) (type)
  • N. meyeri (Hungerbühler & Hunt, 2000)

Nicrosaurus (/nɪkroʊˈsɔrəs/) is an extinct genus of phytosaur reptile existing during the Late Triassic period. Although it looked like a crocodile (and probably lived like the more terrestrial crocodylomorphs), it was not closely related to these creatures, instead being an example of parallel evolution. The main difference between Nicrosaurus (and all other phytosaurs) and modern crocodiles is the position of the nostrilsNicrosaurus's nostrils, or external nares, were placed directly in front of the forehead, whereas in crocodiles, the nostrils are positioned on the end of the snout. A 2013 study has also found that ilium of Nicrosaurus is quite distinctive from all other phytosaurs.[1]

The genus was named by German paleontologist, Dr. Eberhard Fraas, in 1866, possibly after the Neckar river of southwestern Germany, near which it was found.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kimmig_2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).