Rutiodon
Name: Rutiodon
(Wrinkled tooth).
Phonetic: Roo-tee-oh-don.
Named By: Ebenezer Emmons - 1856.
Synonyms: Palaeonornis, Machaeroprosopus.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia,
Archosauria, Phytosauria, Phytosauridae.
Species: R. manhattanensis (type).
R. carolinensis. Other species are often
mentioned but the
full list often changes depending upon source.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Between 3 and 8 meters long depending
upon species and attributed fossil material.
Known locations: Germany, Mexico, Switzerland,
USA - Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Time period: Late Triassic.
Fossil representation: Multiple specimens.
Rutiodon
was
one of the earliest known phytosaurs, and to this day is one that is
usually illustrated as an example of the group. Like with the other
phytosaurs, Rutiodon had an incredible similarity
to today’s
crocodiles, something that still to this day causes some to
incorrectly call phytosaurs ancient crocodiles. In actuality the
phytosaurs represent their own group and have a number of features that
separate them from crocodiles which include lack of a bony palate,
more primitive ankle structure as well as the most obvious being the
placement of the nostrils, which are high up the snout in front of
the eyes rather than on the very tip of the snout as seen in crocodiles.
Similarities
with crocodiles
however involve an overall identical body form, armour plates
(referred to as osteoderms or scutes) across the back and upper
flanks, and long snouts and jaws that had rows of sharp teeth. This
infers that phytosaurs (and Rutiodon) lived and
hunted like
crocodiles do today, either taking prey like fish in water or
dragging drinking creatures in from the edge so that they could be
drowned and eaten.
Rutiodon
has had a large
number of species attributed to the genus, but not all of these may
be valid, and is part of the reason for the great variance in the
number of valid species depending upon source. Additionally the
transference of fossil material in and out of the Rutiodon
genus will
likely have implications for valid size estimates.
Other phytosaurs you might be interested in include the dinosaur eating Nicrosaurus, the gavial like Mystriosuchus and the huge Smilosuchus.
Further reading
- Geological Report of the Midland Counties of North Carolina xx-351. - E. Emmons - 1856.
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