Phylum Chordata | Class Reptilia | |
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Family †ParalligatoridaeKonzhukova, 1954 Genus †ParalligatorKonzhukova, 1954 Similar Pliogonodon, Kansajsuchus, Shamosuchus | ||
Paralligator is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodile that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) period in what is now the Gobi desert of Mongolia, approximately 71-70 million years ago.
Contents
Paleobiology
Paralligator probably would have had to raise its head completely out of the water to breathe. As this cranial morphology does not suit an ambush predator, it lends support to the idea of a diet of aquatic invertebrates. The teeth were adapted to crush bivalves, gastropods and other animals with a shell or exoskeleton.
Taxonomy
Two species are recognized, Paralligator gradilifrons and P. major.
Misassigned species
"Paralligator" sungaricus, described from the Early Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation of Jilin Province, China, is based on postcranial remains consisting of a few presacral vertebrae, dorsal osteoderms, a partial left femur, and the proximal part of a left tibia and fibula. However, the type material is too fragmentary to be considered diagnostic, and the species is a nomen dubium.