| Varanosuchus Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Clade: | Crocodyliformes |
| Family: | †Atoposauridae |
| Genus: | †Varanosuchus Pochat-Cottilloux et al., 2024 |
| Type species | |
| †Varanosuchus sakonnakhonensis Pochat-Cottilloux et al., 2024
| |
Varanosuchus is an extinct genus of atoposaurid neosuchian from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of Thailand. Varanosuchus is known from three individuals which preserve assorted postcranial material and a complete skull. The skull of Varanosuchus was altirostral, meaning it wasn't flattened like in modern crocodilians and instead much deeper, while the limbs were slender and straight, leading to it somewhat resembling a monitor lizard. Little is known about the ecology of atoposaurids, however, based on the slender, erect limbs, the altirostral skull and the well ornamented osteoderms it has been suggested that Varanosuchus was a terrestrial animal with some semi-aquatic affinities. Only a single species is recognized, Varanosuchus sakonnakhonensis.[1]
- ^ Pochat-Cottilloux, Y.; Lauprasert, K.; Chanthasit, P.; Manitkoon, S.; Adrien, J.; Lachambre, J.; Amiot, R.; Martin, J.E. (2024). "New Cretaceous neosuchians (Crocodylomorpha) from Thailand bridge the evolutionary history of atoposaurids and paralligatorids". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad195.