Rhinesuchus
| Rhinesuchus Temporal range: Late Permian | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Temnospondyli |
| Suborder: | Stereospondyli |
| Family: | Rhinesuchidae |
| Genus: | Rhinesuchus |
Rhinesuchus is a large temnospondyl amphibian. Fossil remains of the genus are known from the Permian of the South African Karoo Basins Tapinocephalus and Cistecephalus assemblage zones, both of the Beaufort Group.
Skull in Karoo
Rhinesuchus.
In popular culture
Rhinesuchus was featured in the 2005 BBC series Walking With Monsters, which depicted it as a crocodile-like animal that wrapped itself in a cocoon during dry periods, like a lungfish; only it was unearthed and eaten by a Gorgonops during its last-ditch attempt to sit out the drought.
References
- S. H. Haughton. 1925. Investigations in South African fossil reptiles and amphibians (Part 13). Annals of the South African Museum 22:227-261
- R. Schoch and A. R. Milner. 2000. Stereospondyli. Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie - Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology 3B:1-203
- R. J. Damiani and B. S. Rubidge. 2003. A review of the South African temnospondyl amphibian record. Palaeontologia africana 39:21-36
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