Metoposaurus
| Metoposaurus Temporal range: Carnian, 228–216.5Ma |
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| Skeleton of Metoposaurus diagnosticus krasiejowensi in the Krasiejów museum in Poland | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | "Amphibia" (wide sense) |
| Order: | †Temnospondyli |
| Suborder: | †Stereospondyli |
| Family: | †Metoposauridae |
| Genus: | †Metoposaurus Lydekker, 1890 |
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Nomina dubia:
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Genus-level:
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Metoposaurus is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian, known from the Late Triassic of Germany, Italy, Poland, and Portugal.[1] [2] This mostly aquatic animal possessed small, weak limbs, had sharp teeth and a large flat head.[3] The main diet of this highly flattened creature was fish which it captured with its wide jaws lined with needle teeth. Metoposaurus was up to 3 m (10 feet) long, weighed 454 kg (1,000 pounds),[4] and was one of the last large amphibians. Still, the much larger Koolasuchus survived far into the Cretaceous. A lot of Metoposaurus mass graves have been found, probably from creatures that grouped together in drying pools during drought.
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In Popular Culture[edit]
Metoposaurus was shown in the "Dawn of the Dinos" episode of Paleoworld. It was also shown in a book version of Walking with Dinosaurs.
Gallery[edit]
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Metoposaurus fossils, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris
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Metoposaurus diagnosticus krasiejowensis from Poland
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Dorsal view of Metoposaurus skull cast, UALVP
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Ventral view of Metoposaurus skull cast, UALVP
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Posterior view of Metoposaurus skull cast, UALVP
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Anterior view of Metoposaurus skull cast, UALVP
References[edit]
- ^ T. Sulej, "Species discrimination of the Late Triassic temnospondyl amphibian Metoposaurus diagnosticus", Acta Paleontologica Polonica, 47, 535-546 (2002)
- ^ Steyer, J. S., Mateus O., Butler R. J., Brusatte S. L., & Whiteside J. H. (2011) "A new metoposaurid (temnospondyl) bonebed from the Late Triassic of Portugal", Abstracts of the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, 200.
- ^ Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 16. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
- ^ Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 16. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
External links[edit]
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