Confractosuchus

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Confractosuchus
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Crocodylomorpha
Clade: Crocodyliformes
Clade: Eusuchia
Genus: †Confractosuchus
White et al., 2022
Species:
†C. sauroktonos
Binomial name
†Confractosuchus sauroktonos
White et al., 2022 (type)

Confractosuchus is a

ornithopod dinosaur in its abdomen.[2] It currently contains a single species, Confractosuchus sauroktonos, which literally means "broken dinosaur killer."[3]

The discovery of Confractosuchus was announced by the Australian Age of Dinosaurs museum on 11 February 2022, and was published in the journal Gondwana Research.[4] It is the second extinct eusuchian crocodyliform genus discovered from the Winton Formation, after Isisfordia that was discovered during the mid-1990s and named in 2006.[5][6]

Discovery and naming

Confractosuchus was found in the upper layers of the Winton Formation in central-western

Osteoderms were preserved in association.[7]

In addition to the Eusuchian bones, the specimen also preserved the partially digested bones of a juvenile ornithopod the animal fed on shortly prior to its death.[3] Initial CT scans of the abdominal cavity were unsuccessful as the dense matrix was opaque to laboratory and medical X-rays. Subsequent neutron tomography using the "Dingo"[8] neutron imaging instrument at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation serendipitously revealed the entirely embedded ornithopod.[9] The bones indicate that the dinosaur was a juvenile and that its body could have weighed about 1.7 kg,[2][4] and about the size of a chicken. Since the digestive secretions in the stomach of crocodiles are strong, the preserved dinosaur means that it was eaten shortly before the crocodyliform's death.[10] The dinosaur is also likely an unknown (new) species.[1]

The name Confractosuchus derives from the Latin confractus meaning "broken" and the Greek suchus for "crocodile." The species name is composed of the Greek sauros (meaning "lizard") and ktonos (meaning "killer"), chosen to reflect the preserved gut contents of the animal.[7]

Description

Most of the remains of Confractosuchus are badly crushed. Much of the posterior parts including the hind limbs and tail are missing.

jugal is arched below the orbits, but flattened at its border with the intertemporal fenestra, mimicking the condition seen in susisuchids. The mandibles were preserved tightly shut with the upper jaw and only show ornamentation on its rear end. The upper jaw preserves 16 teeth on each side (4 premaxillary and 12 maxillary) and 17 dentary teeth.[7]

The vertebral column is incompletely preserved. The centra and neural arches of the thoracic vertebrae are fused, however those of the cervical vertebrae aren't, suggesting the animal was a sub-adult at the time of its death. The morphology of Confractosuchus vertebrae varies, some showing a procoelous and others showing an amphicoelous condition. This morphology varies between susisuchids, with Susisuchus possessing exclusively amphicoelous vertebrae while Isisfordia shows beginning procoelous vertebrae. As both susisuchids and Confractosuchus are nested close to the base of Eusuchia, Confractosuchus may represent a transitional form.[7]

None of the osteoderms of Confractosuchus were found in articulation. They are ovoid in shape and deeply pitted, with a central keel running down their surface. The lack of twin-keeled (biserial) osteoderms suggests that the paravertebral armor of the animal was entirely segmented. This adaptation greatly increases the flexibility of the animal in water when compared to the more tightly interlocking armor of

goniopholids and pholidosaurids that increased stability when highwalking.[7]

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic analysis recovered Confractosuchus as a basal Eusuchian nested outside a clade formed by susisuchids and hylaeochampsids.[7]

Eusuchia

Paleoecology

Confractosuchus is a rare example of a fossil crocodyliform with preserved stomach content, and is the first evidence of a crocodyliform eating a dinosaur.

vertebrae and limb bones most likely belonging to a single individual.[1] The vertebrae are partly articulated, party associated, suggesting the animal was not fully digested by the time the crocodyliform died. Analysis of the skull morphology suggests that Confractosuchus was a macro-generalist, meaning it would have been capable of taking prey larger than itself.[7] It was likely an opportunistic feeder rather than a dinosaur specialist. The preservation of its prey indicates that the holotype of Confractosuchus died shortly after ingesting its last meal and it is not possible to determine whether or not the gut of Confractosuchus was more or less acidic than that of modern crocodiles.[10] However, the condition the ornithopod vertebrae were found in suggests that it was dismembered in a similar fashion that modern crocodilians do.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Prostak, Sergio (2022-02-14). "Cretaceous Crocodiles Ate Ornithopod Dinosaurs, Fossil Evidence Shows | Sci-News.com". Sci-News. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  2. ^ a b Haq, Sana Noor (2022-02-14). "Newly discovered crocodile species ate a young dinosaur for its last meal, scientists say". CNN. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  3. ^ a b c Hutton, Christopher (2022-02-14). "New species of prehistoric crocodile found with young dinosaur in stomach". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  4. ^ a b "Ancient crocodile's last meal was a dinosaur" (PDF). www.australianageofdinosaurs.com. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  5. ^ "Ancestor of all modern crocodilians discovered in outback Queensland". The University of Queensland. 14 June 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  6. PMID 16959633
    .
  7. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.gr.2022.01.016
    .
  8. ^ "Dingo - Neutron Imaging | ANSTO". www.ansto.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  9. ^ "Nuclear techniques confirm rare finding that crocodile devoured a baby dinosaur | ANSTO". www.ansto.gov.au. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  10. ^ a b "How experts pieced the shattered remains of an extinct crocodile back together". The Canberra Times. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  11. ^ "Ancient dinosaur-eating crocodile fossil found in Australia". www.bbc.co.uk. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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