Harpacochampsa

Harpacochampsa
Temporal range: Early Miocene
skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Crocodilia
Family:Crocodylidae
Subfamily:†Mekosuchinae
Genus:†Harpacochampsa
Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991
Type species
†Harpacochampsa camfieldensis
Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991
Harpacochampsa camfieldensis (front) and Baru darrowi (back, surfacing)

Harpacochampsa is a poorly known Early Miocene crocodilian from the Bullock Creek lagerstätte of the Northern Territory, Australia. The current specimen consists of a partial skull and fragments of a slender snout reminiscent of that of a false gharial. It is tentatively placed within Mekosuchinae,[1] though some experts disagree with this, as H. camfieldensis would be the only known mekosuchine with a long, thin snout.[2] Its long snout demonstrates that it was a piscivore in life.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Willis, P. M. A., "Review of Crocodilians of Australasia" (pdf).
  2. ↑ Brochu, Christopher A, American Zoologist, June 2001 "Crocodylian snouts toward adaptive radiation".


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