Ahdeskatanka Temporal range: Early Eocene
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Genus: | †Ahdeskatanka Cossette & Tarailo, 2024
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†Ahdeskatanka russlanddeutsche Cossette & Tarailo, 2024
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Ahdeskatanka is an extinct genus of alligator from the Early Eocene Golden Valley Formation of North Dakota, USA. Ahdeskatanka had a short, rounded snout with globular teeth that are well-suited for crushing hard-shelled prey, though its exact ecology is not known. Ahdeskatanka inhabited the vast wetlands that covered much of western North Dakota during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, an environment it shared with at least three other crocodilians. These include the large caiman Chrysochampsa and at least two unnamed forms, one a large crocodyloid and one more similar to Ahdeskatanka. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that it was an early diverging member of the Alligatorinae, possibly related to Allognathosuchus, though its position is not very stable. Only a single species, Ahdeskatanka russlanddeutsche, is placed in this genus.