Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Clade Eusuchia
Huxley, 1875 | Phylum Chordata Clade Neosuchia Rank Suborder | |
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Mass American crocodile: 400 – 500 kg Speed American crocodile: 32 km/h Length American crocodile: 4.1 – 4.8 m Clutch size American crocodile: 30 – 70 Similar Crocodyliformes, Crocodylomorpha, Mesoeucrocodylia, Alligatoroidea, Gavialoidea | ||
How to say eusuchian high quality voices
The Eusuchia ("true crocodiles") are a clade of crocodylomorphs that first appears in the Early Cretaceous with Hylaeochampsa. Along with Dyrosauridae and Sebecosuchia, they were the only crocodyliformes who survived the K-T extinction. Since the other two clades died out 35 and 11 million years ago, all living crocodilian species are eusuchians, as are many extinct forms.
Contents
How to pronounce eusuchian
Description
Unlike primitive crocodylomorphs, crocodyliforms have secondary bony palates. This feature enables living crocodylians to safely breathe in through their nostrils while the rest of the head (including the mouth) remains submerged. This structure reaches its greatest elaboration among eusuchians, in which the internal nares are completely surrounded by the pterygoid bones.
Phylogeny
Cladogram after Holliday and Gardner, 2012:
Below is a cladogram after Puértolas, Canudo and Cruzado-Caballero, 2011: