Paleosuchus

Genus of reptiles From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paleosuchus

Paleosuchus is a South American genus of reptiles in the subfamily Caimaninae of the family Alligatoridae. They are the smallest members of the order Crocodilia in the Americas.[2]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Paleosuchus
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene - Recent, 0.1–0 Ma[1]
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Paleosuchus palpebrosus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Alligatoridae
Subfamily: Caimaninae
Genus: Paleosuchus
Gray, 1862
Species
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Classification

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Perspective

The genus name Paleosuchus is derived from the Greek palaios meaning "ancient" and soukhos meaning "crocodile god Sobek". This refers to the belief that this crocodile comes from an ancient lineage that diverged from other species of caimans some 30 million years ago.[3]

At present, Paleosuchus contains only two members: the smooth-fronted or Schneider's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus) and Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), both from South America.

Paleosuchus is distinguished from other caimans in the subfamily Caimaninae by the absence of an interorbital ridge and the presence of four teeth in the premaxilla region of the jaw, where other species of caimans have five.[3] The relationships of extant (living) caimans can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA-based phylogenetic studies:[4]

Alligatoridae
Caimaninae

Paleosuchus palpebrosus Cuvier's dwarf caiman

Paleosuchus trigonatus Schneider's dwarf caiman

Jacarea

Caiman crocodilus Spectacled caiman

Caiman yacare Yacare caiman

Caiman latirostris Broad-snouted caiman

Melanosuchus niger Black caiman

Alligatorinae

Alligator sinensis Chinese alligator

Alligator mississippiensis American alligator

Species

The genus contains the following two extant species[5] and a yet unnamed fossil species.[6]

More information Common name, Scientific name and subspecies ...
Genus Paleosuchus Gray, 1862 – two species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Cuvier's dwarf caiman

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Paleosuchus palpebrosus
Cuvier, 1807
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela
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Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Smooth-fronted caiman

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Paleosuchus trigonatus
(Schneider, 1801)
Amazon and Orinoco Basins
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Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


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References

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