Australosuchus
Encyclopedia
Australosuchus is an extinct genus
of crocodilian
belonging to the subfamily Mekosuchinae
.
The type and only known species Australosuchus clarkae lived during the Late Oligocene
and the Early Miocene
of southern Australia. The generic name Australosuchus means "Southern crocodile". It was described in 1991 from fossil
material discovered at Lake Palankarinna in South Australia
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of crocodilian
Crocodilia
Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period . They are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria...
belonging to the subfamily Mekosuchinae
Mekosuchinae
Mekosuchinae was a subfamily of crocodiles from Australia and the South Pacific that have now become extinct. They first appear in the fossil record in the Eocene in Australia, and survived until the Pleistocene in Australia and until the arrival of humans in the Pacific islands of Fiji, New...
.
The type and only known species Australosuchus clarkae lived during the Late Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
and the Early Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of southern Australia. The generic name Australosuchus means "Southern crocodile". It was described in 1991 from fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
material discovered at Lake Palankarinna in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.