Simosuchus clarki - A herbivorous crocodilimorph from late Cretaceous|Animalassic

Simosuchus clarki is a small genus of notosuchian crocodylomorphs,which lived during the late Cretaceous period in Madagascar and india. It was termed simosuchus ,meaning "pug-nosed crocodile" because of its notably short skull which resembles that of a pug. Its unusual short snout and maple shaped teeth showed that it was clearly not a carnivorous rather the animal was most likely a herbivore.

Simosuchus clarki

image by Haris Javed

Name: Simosuchus clarki.

Pronunciation: Sae-mo-suk-us clar-key.

Named by: Buckley et al.

Diet: Herbivore.

Locomotion: Quadrupedal.

Estimated size and weight: 2.5 feet and 25 kg.

Time period: Late Cretaceous.

Species: Simosuchus clarki (type).

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Clade: Ziphosuchia Genus: Simosuchus Buckley et al.,2000

Simosuchus clarki is a small genus of notosuchian crocodylomorphs,which lived during the late Cretaceous period in Madagascar and india. It was termed simosuchus ,meaning "pug-nosed crocodile" because of its notably short skull which resembles that of a pug.

Its unusual short snout and maple shaped teeth showed that it was clearly not a carnivorous rather the animal was most likely a herbivore.

The skull's morphology varied substantially between the specimens, with variations in ornamentation and bony protrusion. These differences can be a sign of sexual dimorphism. It had a very short tail compared to the other crocodilforms with no more than 20 caudial vertebrae.Like other crocodiliformes,simosuchus had osteoderms (bony plates) on the  back,underside and tail, but also on the limbs which is quite unusual among crocodilians.

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Simosuchus was a fully terrestrial animal. It's tail was covered with thick shield made up of osteoderms (bony plates) which made the tail inflexible and restricted lateral movement,which seems to be an adaptation to a fully terrestrial lifestyle. 

Its limbs seems to be robust and well -adapted for terrestrial locomotion. The hind limbs were semi-erect which is uncommon trait among the notosuchians.

There's a recently proposed theory regarding the simosuchus, which is it being a fossorial animal (animal which dwell in burrows),which seems plausible because of its robust limbs, short snout and some regions of skull that may have joined to thick strong neck muscles.

Image by Aron Leblanc .                       

Simosuchus had a very complex dentition, much like a modern iguanids, which led paleontologists to the conclusion that it was a herbivorous crocodilimorph.

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