Rutiodon

Rutiodon
Temporal range: Late Triassic
Skeleton of Rutiodon carolinensis (AMNH 1) in the American Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Phytosauria
Family: Phytosauridae
Genus: Rutiodon
Emmons, 1856
Species
  • R. carolinensis (Emmons, 1856) (type)
  • R. manhattanensis (Huene, 1913)
Synonyms
  • Palaeonornis
    Emmons, 1857

Rutiodon ("Wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 3 to 8 meters in length.[1] Rutiodon is known from the eastern United States (North Carolina, New York, New Jersey).[2]

Description

Fossil of R. carolinensis
Restoration of R. carolinensis

Like other phytosaurs, Rutiodon strongly resembled a crocodile, but its nostrils were positioned far back on the head, close to the eyes, instead of at the tip of the snout. It had enlarged front teeth, and a relatively narrow jaw, somewhat resembling that of a modern gharial. This suggests that this carnivore probably caught fish and it may also have snatched land animals from the waterside.[1] Also, like modern crocodiles, its back, flanks, and tail were covered with bony armored plates.[3]

Species

The holotype of R. manhattanensis on display in the American Museum of Natural History
Skeleton of R. carolinensis viewed from the front

The type species of Rutiodon is R. carolinensis. A second species, R. manhattanensis, was discovered in 1910 near Fort Lee, New Jersey, and named in reference to its close proximity to Manhattan.

Phylogeny

Below is a cladogram from Stocker (2012):[4]

Phytosauria 

"Paleorhinus" scurriensis




Paleorhinus bransoni




"Paleorhinus" sawini


Phytosauridae

Brachysuchus megalodon



Angistorhinus




Rutiodon carolinensis



"Machaeroprosopus" zunii



Protome batalaria


Leptosuchomorpha

"Phytosaurus" doughtyi



TMM 31173-120




Leptosuchus crosbiensis



Leptosuchus studeri






Smilosuchus lithodendrorum




Smilosuchus adamanensis



Smilosuchus gregorii






Pravusuchus hortus


Pseudopalatinae

Pseudopalatus mccauleyi




Mystriosuchus westphali



Pseudopalatus pristinus












In popular culture

Rutiodon appeared in the 2001 Discovery Channel documentary When Dinosaurs Roamed America, shown trying to attack a Coelophysis near the water's edge and missing. Rutiodon was also featured in episode 6 of Animal Armageddon. In the episode The Amazing Three Horn Girl from The Land Before Time (TV Series) Rutiodons were the only belly Draggers from the TV Series.

References

  1. 1 2 Gaines, Richard M. (2001). Coelophysis. ABDO Publishing Company. p. 21. ISBN 1-57765-488-9.
  2. Michelle R. Stocker (2010). "A new taxon of phytosaur (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia) from the Late Triassic (Norian) Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation) in Arizona, and a critical reevaluation of Leptosuchus Case, 1922". Palaeontology 53 (5): 997–1022. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00983.x.
  3. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 95. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  4. Stocker, M. R. (2012). "A new phytosaur (Archosauriformes, Phytosauria) from the Lot's Wife beds (Sonsela Member) within the Chinle Formation (Upper Triassic) of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 32 (3): 573–586. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.649815.

External links


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