Pholidosauridae

Skeletal reconstruction of Sarcosuchus imperator

• North America
• Africa

The Pholidosauridae are a group of extinct crocodiles from the middle to late Cretaceous period.

It was at the Pholidosauridae predominantly species with elongated snout, the preferably lived in the sea and hunted for fish. Characterized they were also by a typical broadened structure of the nasal cavity. Filed they are in the most modern branch of Mesosuchia, which is a part of the Neosuchia or modern crocodiles today. The Pholidosauridae include the North American crocodile Terminonaris, the eponymous type Pholidosaurus and Dyrosaurus. Particularly modified form of the up to 12 meters long crocodile Sarcosuchus imperator may be considered. It can be assumed that Sarcosuchus has evolved to adapt to a new habitat in the rivers and thereby has become the fish -eaters for effective hunter who has also attacked dinosaurs.

The following cladogram shows the relationship hypothesis by Sereno et al. 2001:

Sunosuchus

Goniopholis

Pholidosauris

Dyrosaurus

Terminonaris

Sarcosuchus

Modern Crocodilia ( crocodiles, among others today )

The sister group of the Pholidosauridae therefore represent the Goniopholididae with representatives Goniopholis and Sunosuchus dar.