Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of metriorhynchid crocodyloform from the Stadthagen Formation in northwestern Germany.
The newly discovered crocodyloforme lived in shallow seas off Germany during the Early Cretaceous period, between 140 and 132 million years ago.
dubbing Enarioetes schroederi Ancient reptiles belonged to the family Metriorhynchidae.
“Metriorhynchid fishes had smooth skin without scales, fins and a tail,” explained Dr Sven Sachs from the Natural Sciences Museum in Bielefeld and his colleagues.
“They Feeding Metriorhynchid reptiles fed on a variety of prey, including fast-moving animals such as squid and fish, although some metriorhynchid species have large serrated teeth, suggesting that they may have eaten other marine reptiles.”
“The Jurassic period is the best known, and fossils become rarer as we move into the Cretaceous period.”
Perfectly preserved skull Enarioetes schroederi. It was discovered over 100 years ago in a quarry in Sachsenhagen near Hanover by the German architect D. Hapke.
This specimen is the best-preserved metriorhynchid crocodyloform known from the Cretaceous.
“This specimen is remarkable as it is one of the very few metriorhynchids known to have a three-dimensionally preserved skull,” Dr Sacks said.
“This allowed us to perform CT scans of the specimens, which allowed us to learn a lot about the internal structure of these marine crocodiles.”
“The incredible state of preservation has even allowed us to reconstruct the animal’s internal cavity and inner ear.”
Enarioetes schroederi gives paleontologists new insight into how metriorhynchidae evolved during the Cretaceous period.
“During the Jurassic period, metriorhynchids evolved a body plan that was radically different to other crocodiles, with fins, tails, loss of bony armour and smooth skin without scales,” said Dr Mark Young, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh.
“These changes were increasingly adapted to a marine life.”
“Enarioetes schroederi This trend continues into the Cretaceous. Enarioetes schroederi It has larger eyes than other metriorhynchids (which are already large by crocodile standards) and its bony inner ear is more compact than other metriorhynchids. Enarioetes schroederi I probably could have swum faster.”
Discovery Enarioetes schroederi has been reported paper of Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
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Sven Sachs others 2024. A new genus of metriorhynchid crocodile from the Lower Cretaceous of Germany. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22 (1): 2359946; doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2359946
Source: www.sci.news
