Rutiodon

Rutiodon; Temporal range: Late Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Artists impression of Rutiodon validus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
(unranked):	Archosauria
Order:	Phytosauria
Family:	Phytosauridae
Genus:	Rutiodon; Emmons, 1856
Synonyms
	Palaeonornis; Emmons, 1857; Machaeroprosopus;

Rutiodon ("Wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 10 to 25 feet (3 to 8 meters) in length.^[1]. The animal is known from fossils in Europe (Germany and Switzerland) as well as North America (Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas).

Like other phytosaurs, Rutiodon strongly resembled a crocodile, but its nostrils were positioned far back on the head, close to the eyes, instead of at the tip of the snout. It had enlarged front teeth, and a relatively narrow jaw, somewhat resembling that of a modern gharial. This suggests that this carnivore probably caught fish and it may also have snatched land animals from the waterside.^[1] Also like modern crocodiles, its back, flanks, and tail were covered with bony armored plates.^[2]

In popular culture

Rutiodon is one of the best-known phytosaurs and appeared in the 2001 Discovery Channel documentary When Dinosaurs Roamed America, shown trying to attack a Coelophysis near the water's edge and missing. Rutiodon was also featured in episode 6 of Animal Armageddon.

Gallery

Skeleton and dermal plates of Rutiodon manhattanensis
Rutiodon carolinensis fossil
Rutiodon manhattanensis fossil
Restoration of Rutiodon

References

^ ^a ^b Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 95. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.