Marasuchus
Skeleton of Marasuchus
- Marasuchus lilloensis
Marasuchus is a genus of Archosauria from the Middle Triassic (about 245-228 million years ago) of South America. The only species of the genus was described in 1972 by Alfred Romer as Lagosuchus lilloensis. 1994 investigated the paleontologist Paul Sereno and Andrea B. Arcucci the new fossils and beat due to some anatomical differences from the type species of Lagosuchus for L. lilloensis before the new genus Marasuchus.
Locations
The remains of Marasuchus were discovered in Argentina in layers dated to the Middle Triassic ( million years ago 245-228 ).
Properties
Marasuchus lilloensis was about 30 inches long. Probably the animal was eating meat and could have been bipedal ( biped ) have moved as later the dinosaurs. Because of its similarities to Lagosuchus talampayensis arranged Alfred Romer, the first type of the genus Lagosuchus to.
When comparing the fossils of L. talampayensis and L. lilloensis Paul Sereno and Andrea B. Arcucci fell on anatomical differences. The limbs of L. lilloensis were in the proportions different from the well-preserved fossils of another of the family of Lagosuchidae. The feet of L. lilloensis were also those of a dinosaur -like than those of Lagerpeton, a member of Lagosuchidae. Thus, the asymmetry of the fingers of L. lilloensis was less pronounced, and the third toe was the longest. Added to this was at L. lilloensis a clear regionalization of the spine in a cervical spine as well as a front and a rear dorsal section, in contrast to the back of the Pseudosuchia. These features suggest an animal that had a bent neck and a more or less horizontal back spine and nimble ran on hind limbs, their tibia and metatarsal bones were extended.
Classification
Because of the differences to the genus Lagosuchus decided Sereno and Arcucci, for the kind Lagosuchus lilloensis the new genus Marasuchus set up that contains only the type species Marasuchus lilloensis ( Romer, 1972). Marasuchus and the other representatives of the Lagosuchidae are phylogenetically indistinguishable in other features.