Dyrosaurus
Encyclopedia
Dyrosaurus was an extinct genus
of dyrosaurid
crocodyliform from the Eocene
of North Africa. The type species
D. phosphaticus possessed slender jaws with numerous recurved teeth, indicative of a primarily fish diet (similar to the extant gharial
). Dyrosaurus teeth have smooth enamel and are long and often sharp, helping it to hunt fast-moving prey.
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 dyrosaurid
Dyrosauridae
Dyrosauridae is a family of extinct neosuchian crocodyliforms that lived from the Late Cretaceous to the Eocene. Fossils of this group have been found in almost every continent, specifically Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America....
crocodyliform from the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
of North Africa. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
D. phosphaticus possessed slender jaws with numerous recurved teeth, indicative of a primarily fish diet (similar to the extant gharial
Gharial
The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...
). Dyrosaurus teeth have smooth enamel and are long and often sharp, helping it to hunt fast-moving prey.