Navajosuchus is an extinct genus

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 alligatorine

Alligatorinae

Alligatorinae are one of two subfamilies of the family Alligatoridae.-Taxonomy:* Subfamily Alligatorinae** Genus Chrysochampsa ** Genus Hassiacosuchus ** Genus Navajosuchus ** Genus Ceratosuchus...

 crocodylian. Its fossils have been found in the Paleocene

Paleocene

The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...

-age Nacimiento Formation

Nacimiento Formation

The Nacimiento Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in the San Juan Basin of western New Mexico and named for the Nacimiento Mountains...

 of the San Juan Basin

San Juan Basin

The San Juan Basin is a geologic structural basin in the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States; its main portion covers around , encompassing much of northwestern New Mexico, southwest Colorado, and parts of Arizona and Utah....

, New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 (United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

). It was named in 1942 by Charles C. Mook, and the original 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...

 was N. novomexicanus. N. novomexicanus was based on

Holotype

A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...

 AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...

 5186, a partial skull collected in 1913. Later research showed that Navajosuchus novomexicanus was the same as the earlier-named Allognathosuchus

Allognathosuchus

Allognathosuchus is an extinct genus of alligatorine crocodylian with a complicated taxonomic history. This small alligatorine is known for its stout jaws and bulbous teeth, found near the rear of the tooth row in upper and lower jaws. These adaptations have historically been interpreted as...

 mooki. However, A. mooki may or may not belong to the genus Allognathosuchus, and if it does not, the name of the crocodilian would become Navajosuchus mooki. Under whichever name is used, this animal would have been a generalized predator of the Nacimiento floodplain

Floodplain

A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...

s. It was the most common Nacimiento Formation crocodilian, found in both the Puercan

Puercan

The Puercan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 65,000,000 to 63,300,000 years BP lasting . It is usually considered to be within the Paleocene...

 and Torrejonian

Torrejonian

The Torrejonian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 63,300,000 to 60,200,000 years BP lasting . It is usually considered to overlap the Selandian and Thanetian within the...

faunal assemblages.