Alligatorellus
Encyclopedia
Alligatorellus is a genus
of atoposaurid
crocodyliform found in France
that was related to Atoposaurus
.
A skeleton of Alligatorellus has also been found in the Solnhofen Limestone
of Kelheim
, Germany
. The limestone was deposited in a marine environment and the individual may have washed into a lagoon where it was fossilized. Remains of four crinoid
s that lived in the lagoon are found in the same block as the skeleton. The skeleton includes osteoderm
s and limb bones, which are three-dimensionally preserved. The German skeleton shows more details of atoposaurid anatomy than most fossils, as other atoposaurid remains are compressed flat.
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 atoposaurid
Atoposauridae
Atoposauridae is a family of crocodile-like archosaurs. Members of the family have been found from France, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Cameroon, and Thailand.-Phylogeny:...
crocodyliform found in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
that was related to Atoposaurus
Atoposaurus
Atoposaurus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph. It is the type genus of the family Atoposauridae. Fossils have been found that were Late Jurassic in age from two distinct species in France and Germany....
.
A skeleton of Alligatorellus has also been found in the Solnhofen Limestone
Solnhofen limestone
The Solnhofen Plattenkalk is a Jurassic Konservat-Lagerstätte that preserves a rare assemblage of fossilized organisms, including highly detailed imprints of soft bodied organisms such as sea jellies...
of Kelheim
Kelheim
Kelheim is a municipality in Bavaria, capital of the district Kelheim. It is situated at the confluence of Altmühl and Danube. As of June 30, 2005, the town had a population of 15,667....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The limestone was deposited in a marine environment and the individual may have washed into a lagoon where it was fossilized. Remains of four crinoid
Crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms . Crinoidea comes from the Greek word krinon, "a lily", and eidos, "form". They live both in shallow water and in depths as great as 6,000 meters. Sea lilies refer to the crinoids which, in their adult form, are...
s that lived in the lagoon are found in the same block as the skeleton. The skeleton includes osteoderm
Osteoderm
Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and hupehsuchians...
s and limb bones, which are three-dimensionally preserved. The German skeleton shows more details of atoposaurid anatomy than most fossils, as other atoposaurid remains are compressed flat.