Simoedosaurus
Encyclopedia
Simoedosaurus is an extinct reptile known from the Paleocene
of North America and Europe, and a member of the Choristodera
, a group of semiaquatic reptiles that lived in the Northern Hemisphere from the Jurassic to the early Cenozoic. It resembles the better-known Champsosaurus
in having long, slender jaws lined with conical teeth. The elongate jaws resemble those of fish-eating crocodilians such as gharials, and suggest a similar diet and mode of life. The earliest records of Simoedosaurus are from the Early Paleocene (Puercan Land Mammal Age) of Saskatchewan. It persisted until the Late Palaecene in North America, and has also been found in the Late Paleocene of France. Simoedosaurus is not closely related to the North American Champsosaurus, instead it appears to be most closely related to Tchoiria
and Ikechosaurus
from the Cretaceous of Asia. It therefore may represent a species that immigrated into North America from Asia in the wake of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction event.
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...
of North America and Europe, and a member of the Choristodera
Choristodera
Choristodera is an order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to at least the early Miocene. Choristoderes have been found in North America, Asia, and Europe. The most common fossils are typically found from the Late Cretaceous to the...
, a group of semiaquatic reptiles that lived in the Northern Hemisphere from the Jurassic to the early Cenozoic. It resembles the better-known Champsosaurus
Champsosaurus
Champsosaurus is an extinct genus of diapsid reptile belonging to the order Choristodera. It grew to about 1.50 m long....
in having long, slender jaws lined with conical teeth. The elongate jaws resemble those of fish-eating crocodilians such as gharials, and suggest a similar diet and mode of life. The earliest records of Simoedosaurus are from the Early Paleocene (Puercan Land Mammal Age) of Saskatchewan. It persisted until the Late Palaecene in North America, and has also been found in the Late Paleocene of France. Simoedosaurus is not closely related to the North American Champsosaurus, instead it appears to be most closely related to Tchoiria
Tchoiria
Tchoiria is a genus of simoedosaurid choristodere, a type of crocodile-like aquatic reptile. Fossils of this genus have been found in Early Cretaceous-age rocks in Mongolia. Four species have been named, but two have been given their own genera. The type species is T...
and Ikechosaurus
Ikechosaurus
Ikechosaurus is an extinct genus of choristoderan which existed in China and Mongolia during the Cretaceous period. It contains the species Ikechosaurus sunailinae and Ikechosaurus gaoi....
from the Cretaceous of Asia. It therefore may represent a species that immigrated into North America from Asia in the wake of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction event.