Macelognathus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iMacelognathus |
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Exinct (fossil)
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| Macelognathus | |
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| Type | terrestrial crocodylian |
| Movement | running |
| Diet | carnivore |
| Environment | terrestrial |
| Distribution | USA |
Macelognathus is the name given to a genus of reptile from the Late Jurassic. Originally thought to be a theropod, it was actually a sphenosuchian. It lived in what is now Wyoming, in North America.
The type species, Macelognathus vagans, was described by Marsh in the 1880s, and was later reclassified by Clark and Sues in 2002 when five new skeletons were discovered. It is considered an example of convergant evolution, due to the similarities to caenagnathids, with which it was not closely related.
It is possibly a junior synonym of Hallopus victor.
