Geosaurus

Geosaurus
Temporal range: Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Tithonian to Valanginian), 150–136 Ma
Skull of G. giganteus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Crocodylomorpha
Clade: Crocodyliformes
Suborder: †Thalattosuchia
Family: †Metriorhynchidae
Subtribe: †Geosaurina
Genus: †Geosaurus
Cuvier, 1824
Type species
†Geosaurus giganteus
Species
  • †G. giganteus (Sömmerring, 1816)
  • †G. grandis (Wagner, 1858)
  • †G. lapparenti (Debelmas & Strannoloubsky, 1957)
Synonyms
  • Halilimnosaurus Ritgen, 1826 [1]
  • Brachytaenius von Meyer, 1842 [2]

Geosaurus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform within the family Metriorhynchidae, that lived during the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous. Geosaurus was a carnivore that spent much, if not all, its life out at sea. No Geosaurus eggs or nests have been discovered, so little is known of the reptile's lifecycle, unlike other large marine reptiles of the Mesozoic, such as plesiosaurs or ichthyosaurs which are known to give birth to live young out at sea. Where Geosaurus mated, whether on land or at sea, is currently unknown. The name Geosaurus means "Mother of Giants lizard", and is derived from the Greek Ge- ("Earth", the mythical mother of the Giants) and σαῦρος -sauros ("lizard"). The name Geosaurus was established by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1824.[3]

  1. ^ Ritgen CH. 1826. Becken der krokodilartigen Salzumpf-eideche. Nova Acta Academiae Leopoldino-Carolinae Curios 13 (1): 331-358.
  2. ^ Meyer H von 1842. Brachytaenius perennis aus dem dichten gelben Jurakalk von Aalen in Würtembertg. In: Meyer H von, Althaus GB, Münster G, eds. Beiträge zur Petrefacten-kunde. Bayreuth: 22-23, & plate 7.
  3. ^ Cuvier G. 1824. Sur les ossements fossiles de crocodiles, 5. In: Dufour & D'Occagne, eds. Recherches sur les ossements fossiles, 2nd édition. Paris: 143-160