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Protosuchia
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<h2 id="classification">Classification</h2> <p>Recent phylogenetic analyses have not supported Protosuchia as a <a href="/facts/Monophyly/pD8Yrrn6">natural group</a>. However, two studies found a clade of <a href="/facts/Late_Triassic/TazKYWQN">Late Triassic</a>-<a href="/facts/Early_Jurassic/atwEBpDz">Early Jurassic</a> animals:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Edentosuchus/vcV0qCkg">Edentosuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Hemiprotosuchus/aa6tHeGj">Hemiprotosuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Orthosuchus/etYWsIvl">Orthosuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Protosuchus/LUhuHruA">Protosuchus</a></i></li></ul> <p>Both of these studies also found a <a href="/facts/Clade/XefyYmWn">clade</a> more closely related to <i><a href="/facts/Hsisosuchus/IVnFsdHc">Hsisosuchus</a></i> and <a href="/facts/Mesoeucrocodylia/8qaMl3ev">Mesoeucrocodylia</a> consisting of <a href="/facts/Late_Jurassic/NzU9rlnL">Late Jurassic</a>-<a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> genera:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Neuquensuchus/xxTC0pdr">Neuquensuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Shantungosuchus/hDSPYmLd">Shantungosuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sichuanosuchus/SCosuQ4b">Sichuanosuchus</a></i></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Zosuchus/vIyuXWmN">Zosuchus</a></i></li></ul> <p>However, other possible protosuchians from the <a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> of <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a>-<a href="/facts/Mongolia/ogQzUcQb">Mongolia</a>, the <a href="/facts/Gobiosuchidae/79MeMQA6">Gobiosuchidae</a> (<i><a href="/facts/Gobiosuchus/z0gFqydV">Gobiosuchus</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Zaraasuchus/VKAfSzgn">Zaraasuchus</a></i>), have been found to be either intermediate between these two clades,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> or members of the <i>Sichuanosuchus</i> clade.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> There is also another family of <a href="/facts/Late_Jurassic/NzU9rlnL">Late Jurassic</a>-<a href="/facts/Late_Cretaceous/pcHa4fBg">Late Cretaceous</a> genera, the <a href="/facts/Shartegosuchidae/T0WSx83y">Shartegosuchidae</a> (e.g. <i><a href="/facts/Kyasuchus/SumFBgYu">Kyasuchus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Shartegosuchus/LNJh3RsQ">Shartegosuchus</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Nominosuchus/uA2eHuz5">Nominosuchus</a></i>). </p><p>Below is a <a href="/facts/Cladogram/fWFYhUFo">cladogram</a> from Fiorelli and Calvo (2007).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> Protosuchians are marked by the green bracket. </p> <table><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="/facts/Crocodylomorpha/clPyHg6D">Crocodylomorpha</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Terrestrisuchus/CxzsNq9A">Terrestrisuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Dibothrosuchus/R9hbc8Cq">Dibothrosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Crocodyliformes/mxtj6sFF">Crocodyliformes</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="/facts/Gobiosuchidae/79MeMQA6">Gobiosuchidae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Gobiosuchus/z0gFqydV">Gobiosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Zaraasuchus/VKAfSzgn">Zaraasuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Orthosuchus/etYWsIvl">Orthosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="/facts/Protosuchidae/psaNonnN">Protosuchidae</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Protosuchus/LUhuHruA">Protosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Hemiprotosuchus/aa6tHeGj">Hemiprotosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>"Kayenta Form"</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Edentosuchus/vcV0qCkg">Edentosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Mesoeucrocodylia/8qaMl3ev">Mesoeucrocodylia</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p>"<a href="/facts/Fruitachampsa/eMpx4WA4">Fruitachampsa</a>"</p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Zosuchus/vIyuXWmN">Zosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Sichuanosuchus/SCosuQ4b">Sichuanosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Shantungosuchus/hDSPYmLd">Shantungosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Neuquensuchus/xxTC0pdr">Neuquensuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><i><a href="/facts/Hsisosuchus/IVnFsdHc">Hsisosuchus</a></i></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Metasuchia/WcUxPRCu">Metasuchia</a></td><td rowspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Neosuchia/swTfMNdQ">Neosuchia</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Peirosauridae/s307kNA2">Peirosauridae</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td rowspan="2"><p><a href="/facts/Notosuchia/0ekwEf0y">Notosuchia</a></p></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td>Protosuchians</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Pol D, Ji S-a, Clark JM, Chiappe LM. 2004. Basal crocodyliforms from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group (Xinjiang, China), and the phylogenetic position of Edentosuchus. Cretaceous Research 25: 603-622. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65 (4): 417-459. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Pol D, Ji S-a, Clark JM, Chiappe LM. 2004. Basal crocodyliforms from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group (Xinjiang, China), and the phylogenetic position of Edentosuchus. Cretaceous Research 25: 603-622. <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65 (4): 417-459. <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Pol D, Ji S-a, Clark JM, Chiappe LM. 2004. Basal crocodyliforms from the Lower Cretaceous Tugulu Group (Xinjiang, China), and the phylogenetic position of Edentosuchus. Cretaceous Research 25: 603-622. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65 (4): 417-459. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Fiorelli LE, Calvo JO. 2007. The first "protosuchian" (Archosauria: Crocodyliformes) from the Cretaceous (Santonian) of Gondwana. Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65 (4): 417-459. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>