Mesosuchia

<h2 id="characteristics">Characteristics</h2>
<p>The marine crocodile <i><a href="/facts/Metriorhynchus/A5W3AhSp">Metriorhynchus</a></i> had paddle-like forelimbs, <i><a href="/facts/Dakosaurus_andiniensis/w65GVgAu">Dakosaurus andiniensis</a></i> had a skull that was adapted to eat large sea reptiles, and <i><a href="/facts/Shamosuchus/WqgVddFA">Shamosuchus</a></i> was adapted for eating <a href="/facts/Mollusc/1elgknsQ">molluscs</a> and <a href="/facts/Gastropod/rYPqm3PT">gastropods</a>. <i>Shamosuchus</i> also looked like modern crocodiles and was very closely related to their direct ancestor.
</p>
<h2 id="history">History</h2>
<p>The "Mesosuchia" were formerly placed at Suborder rank as within Crocodylia. The "first" crocodiles were placed within their own suborder, <a href="/facts/Protosuchia/rDhtdeCc">Protosuchia</a>; whilst extant species where placed within Suborder <a href="/facts/Eusuchia/2D5MTkCG">Eusuchia</a> (meaning 'true crocodiles'). Mesosuchia were the crocodylians "in between".But it is no longer regarded as genuine because it belongs to a paraphyletic group. It is replaced by its phylogenetic equivalent <a href="/facts/Mesoeucrocodylia/8qaMl3ev">Mesoeucrocodylia</a>, which contains the taxa herein, the <a href="/facts/Crocodylia/G4LbxJs6">Crocodylia</a>, and some allied forms more recently discovered.
</p>
<h2 id="classification">Classification</h2>
<p>The "Mesosuchia" was composed as:
</p>
<ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Hsisosuchidae/IVnFsdHc">Hsisosuchidae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Gobiosuchidae/79MeMQA6">Gobiosuchidae</a>
<ul><li>Infraorder <a href="/facts/Notosuchia/0ekwEf0y">Notosuchia</a>
<ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Notosuchidae/4yxK17CA">Notosuchidae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Sebecidae/zkMh0PAM">Sebecidae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Baurusuchidae/8yvkpPpm">Baurusuchidae</a></li></ul></li>
<li>Infraorder <a href="/facts/Neosuchia/swTfMNdQ">Neosuchia</a>
<ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Trematochampsidae/3CgjjdaY">Trematochampsidae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Peirosauridae/s307kNA2">Peirosauridae</a>
<ul><li>Genus <i><a href="/facts/Lomasuchus/9HfJQd5w">Lomasuchus</a></i></li>
<li>Genus <i><a href="/facts/Montealtosuchus/VoaYej8g">Montealtosuchus</a></i></li></ul></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Elosuchidae/hzG1mJfD">Elosuchidae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Atoposauridae/11RHcT4A">Atoposauridae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Dyrosauridae/evDb3744">Dyrosauridae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Pholidosauridae/cxTrue0b">Pholidosauridae</a>
<ul><li>Genus <i><a href="/facts/Sarcosuchus/Ay3Y9rdl">Sarcosuchus</a></i></li></ul></li>
<li>Infraorder <a href="/facts/Thalattosuchia/G4CsVybF">Thalattosuchia</a> - Sea "Crocodiles"
<ul><li>Family <a href="/facts/Teleosauridae/rMecm599">Teleosauridae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Metriorhynchidae/dPozSSwf">Metriorhynchidae</a>
<ul><li>Genus <i><a href="/facts/Dakosaurus_andiniensis/w65GVgAu">Dakosaurus</a></i></li></ul></li></ul></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Goniopholididae/TTYAnNqL">Goniopholididae</a></li>
<li>Family <a href="/facts/Paralligatoridae/YcAso66r">Paralligatoridae</a>
<ul><li>Genus <i><a href="/facts/Shamosuchus/WqgVddFA">Shamosuchus</a></i></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223936/http://www.schweizerbart.de/pubs/journals/0031-0220/paper/55/313">A teleosaurid (Crocodylia, Mesosuchia) from the Toarcian of Madagascar and its palaeobiogeographical significance</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/bluenile/blue5.html">Blue Nile Gorge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060509071756/http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/Unit290/290.200.html">Crocodyliformes</a></li></ul>

Mesosuchia open-in-new

Mesosuchia