Kyhytysuka
Name:
Kyhytysuka
(the one that cuts with something sharp).
Phonetic: Ky-hy-ty-su-ka.
Named By: Dirley Cort�s, Erin E. Maxwell,
& Hans C. E. Larsson - 2021.
Synonyms: Platypterygius sachicarum.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauria.
Species: K. sachicarum
(type).
Diet: Piscivore/Carnivore.
Size: Skull about 94 centimetres long.
Known locations: Colombia - Paja Formation.
Time period: Early Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Skull.
Originally
assigned as a species of Platypterygius,
Kyhytysuka
is a genus of
ichthyosaur
that lived in waters around South America during the Early
Cretaceous. Kyhytysuka is loosely described as a
hyper carnivore,
and this is because of many observations that can be made for the
skull and teeth.
In
Kyhytysuka the teeth are not just large (in
comparison to some other
ichthyosaur genera), but they seem to come in three forms. The
anterior most teeth (at the tips of the jaws) are better suited for
piercing and seizing prey items. Half way along the jaws the teeth
alter in form and arrangement to be better suited for cutting. The
posterior most teeth (back of the jaws) are better adapted for
crushing. All in all, Kyhytysuka could not just
seize prey, but
process its prey’s bodies by cutting and crushing.
The
skull also shows adaptation for a strong and violent feeding strategy,
including being strengthened along its axis. The quadrate bone
(where upper jaw connects to lower jaw) has a reinforced connection
to the braincase, something that could infer much stronger biting
muscles. The mandibular symphysis that connects the lower jaws is
also reinforced. The jaws of Kyhytysuka could
also open up to angles
of 70� to perhaps even 75� wide. Kyhytysuka
may have been
able to swallow some large prey whole, especially if an expandable
gular pouch was present.
All
in all Kyhytysuka was almost certainly a macro
predator that fed with
great strength and force. It is uncertain as to what animals
Kyhytysuka hunted because frankly this was an
ichthyosaur that could
adapt to hunting a variety of animals. Strong bite muscles with
shearing and crushing teeth might indicate tougher prey such as
ammonites, turtles and crustaceans. Those feeding adaptations might
have also been used against marine reptiles to slice and crush up their
bones before swallowing. Fish might have also been caught and
swallowed whole.
The
describers of Kyhytysuka noted smaller eye orbits
and a linear jaw,
which are features that might mean that Kyhytysuka
hunted in
shallower seas.
Further reading
- Platypterygius sachicarum (Reptilia,
Ichthyosauria) nueva
especie del Cret�cico de Colombia. - Revista Ingeominas (in
Spanish). 6: 1–12. - M. E. P�ramo - 2021.
- Re-appearance of hypercarnivore ichthyosaurs in the Cretaceous with
differentiated dentition: revision of 'Platypterygius'
sachicarum (Reptilia:Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauridae) from
Colombia. - Journal of Systematic Palaeontology: 1–34. -
Dirley Cort�s, Erin E. Maxwell, & Hans C. E.
Larsson - 2021.
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