Jakarta –
Aetosaurus is known as a dinosaur relative of crocodiles that lived on land. The difference is, this ancient animal was a herbivore and an omnivore. This reptile has a snout like a pig, as well as a kind of protective shell or carapace (armor) to defend against predators.
“Aetosaurs were a group of four-legged, armor-plated reptiles whose terrestrial ecology was inferred to include both herbivory and omnivory,” wrote Austin paleontologist William Reyes and colleagues in the journal The Anatomical Record.
New species of aetosaur identified from skeletal fossils in the Cooper Canyon Formation, Garza County, Texas, United States. This ancient land crocodile is thought to have spread globally until the end of the Triassic, around 218 million years ago.
Ancient Land Crocodiles
The new species of aetosaur was given a scientific name Heron dock. It is estimated to have grown to around 3.5 meters, whereas most aetosaurs could grow between 2-6 meters.
The hard protective layer or carapace of the aetosaur was found along with its skeleton, which covers the left and right sides of the body. According to researchers, the discovery of the species Garzapelta muelleri provides new insight into the typical dorsal carapace variations of Aetosauria.
“It is proven that the morphology of the lateral osteoderms (bone skin) drives the final topological position Heron dockreturning it as a sister taxon to Desmatosuchini,” explained the researcher, quoted from Science News.
Evidence of the relationship between herbivorous crocodiles
Desmatosuchini is another type of large four-legged reptile that is also a relative of land crocodiles. Its length reaches 4.5-5 meters, while its weight is up to 280-300 kg. Like aetosaurs, desmatosuchus was also a herbivore.
Desmatosuchus also had four-sided hard skin on its back, tail and underbelly. The difference is, Heron dock As a member of Aeosauria, they have armor that at first glance resembles a flying bird.
Garzapelta muelleri is also thought to have lived after Desmatosuchus. Because, desmatosuchus is estimated to have lived around 230 years ago.
“The similarities between Heron dock Rioarribasuchus chamaensis (desmatosuchus), and paratypothoracin from Eagle Basin in Colorado suggest that we may be facing the emergence of a new group of aetosaurs that exhibit a biostratigraphic range likely limited to the estimated Revueltian holochronozone (215 to 207 million years ago) but perhaps as old as the latest Adamania,” explained the researcher.
tags
ancient crocodile
Playboy
dinosaur
herbivore
omnivore
aetosaurus
aetosauria
Watch the video “Fossil Appearance of a Dinosaur that Extinct 90 Million Years Ago”
(twu/nwk)
2024-01-22 13:00:00
#species #ancient #land #crocodile #discovered #Garzapelta #muelleri
